Trump Is Repainting The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool And It Will Look Like A Luxury Hotel Pool
“It’s not supposed to look like you’re going to dive and swim; it’s meant to show the great geometry of the ancient temple that is the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.” – Judy Scott Feldman
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was designed in 1922 by Henry Bacon, the same artist who designed the Lincoln Memorial itself. It was created as part of the McMillan Program to symbolically connect George Washington with Abraham Lincoln, the father of the country and its savior. The dark, achromatic bowl is designed to reveal precise geometrical reflections. A 1999 National Park Service Cultural Landscape report identified blackwater as important to the sacred, sacred character of the area.
It was the backdrop for Marian Anderson’s 1939 concert after the DAR barred her from entering Constitution Hall. That’s when Martin Luther King Jr. where he delivered the speech “I have a dream” in 1963. This is where the Vietnamese protesters gathered in 1970.
Trump announced the repainting on April 23, 2026, after rejecting the green sample as “Bahamas”. He chose “American Flag Blue.” He called the pool “absolutely filthy” and shared an AI photo on Truth Social of Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Nancy Pelosi swimming in what appeared to be human waste, with the caption “Dumacrats Love Sewage.” He also drove a motorcycle across a wet ditch and posted another picture of his AI, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and Doug Burgum singing in the new blue version.
The Cultural Landscape Foundation, led by president Charles Birnbaum, petitioned the administration to bypass both NEPA’s environmental review and the National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 process. The no-bid contract was issued under a federal exemption intended for emergencies that would cause “serious harm” to the state. In the House hearing, Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado asked Interior Secretary Doug Burgum what the injuries were. Burgum did not answer the question. He pointed out that about 20 wells in DC are not working.
On May 13, after questions about expenses and cronyism erupted, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he “did not issue the contract,” which was given to “Inside”, and that he does not know Atlantic Industrial Coatings and “never used it before.” Weeks ago he had recommended the same company as his “unbelievable” boyfriend at Sterling golf club.
Administrators say the project is not decorative paint but an industrial-grade waterproof liner that permanently fixes chronic leaks and algae, will produce a clearer reflection than old gray stone, and costs a fraction of the $300 million granite reconstruction would have required. They tied the timeline to the July 4, 2026 deadline for the country’s 250th anniversary.
The last major renovation, completed by the Obama administration in 2012, cost $34 million. It drives 2,133 wooden poles 40 meters into the ground to prevent the basin from sinking and leaking 500,000 gallons a week. The current project was originally announced at $1.8 million. Federal records now show $13.1 million, which is a seven-fold increase the Department of the Interior attributed to the accelerated timeline.
The hearing of the court’s decision is on Thursday. The judge is Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee. The contractor is the one who made the pools at the president’s golf course. The deadline is July 4, the country’s 250th birthday.
