Recently, the renovation project of the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool, spearheaded by U.S. President Trump, was completed. This landmark in Washington D.C. was cleaned and repainted blue, resembling the American flag. However, the massive costs involved in the project and its effectiveness have sparked widespread controversy. Critics have questioned issues such as waste and fraud within the Trump administration.
According to a report by the British newspaper The Guardian on June 11, Trump initially claimed that the cost of renovating the reflecting pool was less than $2 million, but in reality, the expenditure exceeded $14 million. The process of selecting the project contractor and the construction itself also sparked controversy. Trump did not conduct a public bidding process; instead, he directly awarded the contract to a company that had previously worked with him and had no experience in government projects.
The Lincoln Memorial Pool was built in 1922, located in National Park in Washington D.C., the capital of the United States. The Washington Monument is situated to the east of the pool. However, over the past few decades, this landmark has been plagued by algae growth and water leakage issues. The summer sunlight and high temperatures in Washington have caused rapid growth of algae in the pool, severely affecting its water quality and appearance.
Since he began his second term in office, Trump has been committed to leaving a personal mark on Washington. On April 23 local time, Trump announced plans to renovate the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial. He stated that the project would take about a week and cost less than $2 million.
However, the actual cost of this project far exceeded the figures mentioned by Trump. It cost over 14 million dollars and took six weeks to complete. In response, Katie Martin, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of the Interior, explained that the National Park Service, responsible for maintaining the reflecting pool, purchased a “state-of-the-art nano-bubble filtration system” to control algae growth.
Nanobubble technology can cut off the nutrients that algae rely on, thereby inhibiting their growth. Martin boasted in a statement: “We are removing algae, and the nanobubble system will maintain the mirror pool in a state free of algae. President Trump is an experienced builder who has thoroughly repaired the mirror pool.”
Furthermore, the Trump administration also re-painted the reflecting pool, making it present “the blue of the American flag”.
The above image is a satellite image of the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial on June 10, 2023. The following image is a satellite image taken on June 7, 2026. AFP
But on June 10th, CNN noticed that even after the renovation work was completed and the reflecting pool was refilled with water, workers were still cleaning the algae at the bottom of the reflecting pool. Regarding this issue, Martin argued that it was part of the normal start-up process. “What you see are the remnants of algae in the water supply pipes, which remained idle for eight weeks during the construction period.”
The issue of project costs has raised doubts among the American public. Kyla Brown, a resident of Washington D.C., questioned that the Trump administration spent $14 million on renovations, but the reflecting pool “does not seem to have changed much.”
The selection process for the contractor for the renovation project also sparked controversy. According to information cited by the U.S. New York Times, the Trump administration did not conduct a public bidding process but directly awarded the contract for the renovation to Atlantic Industrial Coatings in Virginia, a company that has no experience with government projects.
Public information shows that Atlantic Industrial Coatings has collaborated with Trump and was involved in the construction project of Trump’s National Golf Club in Virginia.
In April, Trump said, "I know someone who is really good at building swimming pools. He called me and said, 'Sir, what can we do together?' But The New York Times pointed out that Atlantic Industrial Coatings doesn't seem to have any business related to the painting of swimming pools and waterproofing work.
U.S. law stipulates that federal agencies should generally allow suppliers to compete for contracts, through bidding to find suppliers who can provide the best services at the lowest cost. However, the law also lists exceptions, such as in emergency situations where time is of the essence and the matter is critical, where any delay could cause serious damage to the government. In such cases, federal agencies may deviate from these regulations.
However, American legal experts point out that the renovation work on Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool is simply behind schedule and does not constitute an exception to the rule. Jessica Tilipman, a professor of contract law at George Washington University, said: “The federal government cannot create a sense of urgency artificially.”
The American Democratic Party has criticized the related projects. Richard Blumenthal, a Democratic-leaning federal senator from Connecticut and a member of the permanent investigative subcommittee of the U.S. Senate, questioned, “While it is crucial to preserving national landmarks, the scale, cost, and long-term nature of these projects reveal a series of troubling issues of waste, fraud, and abuse of power.”
Regarding the effect of renovating the reflecting pool, opinions among residents and tourists in Washington D.C. are mixed. Lara Harvey, who comes from New Zealand and has lived in the United States for ten years, said, “To be honest, it impressed me. The reflecting pool looks really beautiful. I thought it would be blue like a swimming pool, but I’m now very surprised.”
Living near Washington D.C. in the city of Alexandria, Marcus Tate said that he can still find algae in the reflecting pool. He criticized that Washington D.C. is "already a beautiful place," and that the U.S. government is spending large amounts of money on unnecessary maintenance, while not providing more assistance to local homeless people.
