Just like everything else President Donald Trump takes on in Washington, D.C., there’s been a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth among The Usual Suspects regarding the restoration of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.
After teasing a massive clean-up back in November, Trump confirmed in April that he would proceed with renovations to the pool, citing a friend of his from Germany who visited and commented on how bad it looked:
“He said, ‘it’s filthy, dirty. The water is disgusting looking. It’s not representative of the country,'” Trump recalled during a White House event Thursday on drug prices.
[…]
“Right now, it’s got no water in it because it was in terrible shape. It was filthy, dirty, and it leaked like a sieve for many years,” Trump said in the video. “So I actually went over, went with Secret Service and a group of people, and I took, took a look at it.”
Since that time, the project has come under intense scrutiny over increased costs, a slightly revised timeline, and the need for it all from the same people who wouldn’t bat an eyelash over spending billions in taxpayer dollars on a study about the mating habits of the Alaskan ice worm. It has also faced a lawsuit because of course.
SEE ALSO: Dems’ Latest Reaction to Trump DC Clean-Up Explains Why Everything Was Such a Mess
The last pool renovation was completed in 2012 under the Obama-Biden administration, cost $34 million, and took two years to complete due in part to significant degradation, leaking, and sinking in the structure. It wasn’t long before the algae took it over.
According to Trump, the pool project pretty much wrapped up on Thursday, with the only thing left to do – which crews were doing – was to fill it with water over the American Flag Blue paint color that was selected:
The water is ON, the Reflecting Pool is reflecting, and D.C. is looking better than ever.
We are so back. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/J3xE33XiA5
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 4, 2026
In mid-May, the obnoxious press team for California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) decided to take a swipe at Trump over the project, tweeting out this picture as though it was the finished product:
Bang up job Donald! pic.twitter.com/adDj20gKKv
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) May 13, 2026
RELATED: Update: Trump’s D.C. Arch Project Is One Step Closer to Reality
They were, of course, taken to task at the time, but Newsom’s critics also took some time to update him and his press team on how the pool looks, just three weeks later:
One might wonder why Newscum’s team would post something so idiotic, but it makes sense considering they’ve never actually seen a project completed. It’s a foreign concept to them. pic.twitter.com/3F5MOTAzkb
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 5, 2026
This didn’t age well. pic.twitter.com/j5VmfBKE9C
— Dr. Matthew M. Wielicki (@MatthewWielicki) June 5, 2026
Gavin thought this wouldn’t age poorly because he couldn’t fathom completing a public works project. https://t.co/huqo9gWn7f
— Agrippa (@agrippa_dr) June 5, 2026
Imagine being the sniveling moron who wrote this post only to have the project completed three weeks later.
Actually finishing projects is a foreign concept for California Democrats. https://t.co/PLnzP4pg1y
— RBe (@RBPundit) June 5, 2026
And more to the point was this reference to California’s bloated high-speed rail boondoggle, which is estimated to cost $231 billion, assuming it ever gets completed:
If this was done in California it would’ve had 20 years worth of extensions and be 10 billion over budget before they even drained the pool. https://t.co/rdwWzBCY4q
— bumbadum (@bumbadum14) June 5, 2026
Yeah, between that and the “wildlife crossing” nature bridge (which, as RedState Managing Editor Jennifer Van Laar pointed out, is actually a wildfire express lane), I think Newsom and anyone in his office trying to dunk on Trump over the reflecting pool project is stupid on steroids from a PR perspective, because it just reminds people of Newsom’s myriad failures and broken promises.
But hey, Newsom’s press office, you’re doing great. Keep it up.
Editor’s Note: President Trump is leading America into the “Golden Age” as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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