Trump Furious After Seeing The Drained Reflecting Pool

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is displaying a noticeably different appearance after a recent renovation project, with the bottom surface now appearing more gray than blue following work completed last month.

Photographs taken from the Washington Monument show the pool’s liner has faded from the bright blue color that was originally applied during the restoration. The earlier coating was intended to create a vivid blue appearance that reflected the colors of the American flag.

The Interior Department awarded a no-bid contract worth more than $14.6 million to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor. Although the project was completed ahead of President Donald Trump’s July 4 deadline, problems emerged shortly afterward.

An algae bloom caused the water to turn green, and sections of the newly applied blue coating began peeling away from the bottom of the pool. In response, the Interior Department awarded a second no-bid contract worth more than $1.7 million to Ohio-based Green Water Solutions to address the algae issue.

The company installed a nanobubble ozone treatment system designed to eliminate algae and improve water quality. According to a report from The New York Times, company records show Green Water Solutions is owned by John J. Cafaro, a Trump donor who resides near the president’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida.

The administration has maintained that vandalism contributed to damage involving the pool’s coating. Federal authorities have arrested several individuals accused of damaging the newly renovated surface, including former Olympic canoeist David Hearn.

A federal grand jury indicted Hearn on July 2 after prosecutors alleged he forcefully pulled up portions of the pool’s liner, causing more than $1,000 in damage to approximately two square feet of sealant. Prosecutors described the incident as intentional destruction of federal property.

Hearn has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty. Speaking to The Washington Post last month, he said he only touched a section of material that was already separating from the surface and denied causing any damage.

“I didn’t vandalize anything,” Hearn said, maintaining that the coating was already peeling when he encountered it and that he was surprised when law enforcement officers detained him.