A New York Times journalist is bellyaching about President Donald J. Trump’s cleaning up of the “filthy” Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in advance of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.
On Friday, Trump announced that his administration would save millions by junking an obscenely costly bid to overhaul the iconic Washington, D.C. location on the National Mall where slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963.
President Trump on TruthSocial: This is the Reflecting Pool at The Lincoln Memorial.
Two thousand five hundred feet, the length of the tallest Building in the World. Starting the final phase of Renovation that was supposed to cost 301 Million Dollars, and take three years, and… pic.twitter.com/N0Ictr4Bvg
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) April 25, 2026
“This is the Reflecting Pool at The Lincoln Memorial. Two thousand five hundred feet, the length of the tallest Building in the World. Starting the final phase of Renovation that was supposed to cost 301 Million Dollars, and take three years, and was instead done, with the help of Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, and his entire Department, and a much better final result – 2 Million Dollars in one week!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, sharing images of the progress on the upgrade.
“He said, ‘it’s filthy, dirty. The water is disgusting looking. It’s not representative of the country,'” Trump said on Thursday, relating remarks made by a friend from Germany.
Lulu Garcia-Navarro, who also hosts a podcast for the Times, appeared on Friday’s edition of “The Arena” on CNN, where she whined about Trump’s overhaul project during a conversation about the Justice Department closing its probe of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, clearing the way for his replacement.
(Video: CNN)
“The government got a bid to redo the reflecting pool for like, $3 billion, some ridiculous amount of money,” said CNN’s David Urban “So, Trump went down with Burgum, and Trump’s pool contractor, and they’re recoating, they recaulked, they’re redoing the entire reflecting pool for like $2 million bucks, and it’s gonna last 40 years.”
“Trump put a whole statement about it,” he continued. “He knows buildings, he’s fiscally responsible, very fiscally conservative, when it comes to buildings…”
“Doesn’t President Trump have anything better to do?” Garcia-Navarro interrupted. “Oh, my lord.”
“He does. He’s a good steward of everyone’s dollars, Lulu,” Urban replied.
“@POTUS fixes problems!” Secretary Burgum wrote in a post to X on Thursday, sharing a video of Trump talking about the pool. “After years of neglect, the Reflecting Pool will be more BEAUTIFUL than ever, faster and at a lower cost than projected. @POTUS is always negotiating the BEST deal for the American people, and this project is no different!”
.@POTUS fixes problems!
After years of neglect, the Reflecting Pool will be more BEAUTIFUL than ever, faster and at a lower cost than projected. @POTUS is always negotiating the BEST deal for the American people, and this project is no different! pic.twitter.com/aRCO07TU3m
— Secretary Doug Burgum (@SecretaryBurgum) April 23, 2026
Trump told reporters that the pool’s new floor color is made of the “latest and greatest filament” in “American flag blue.”
“You’re going to end up with a beautiful, beautiful reflecting pool, the way it’s supposed to be,” the president said. “Much better than it was, actually.”
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