there is a moment from this week that captures something important about how certain decisions get made in washington.
president trump drove across the drained lincoln memorial reflecting pool Blue Paint in a vehicle last month to inspect the blue coating being applied to its basin. he called it beautiful. he called it “american flag blue.” he said it would cost $1.5 to $2 million and be done in two weeks.
the pool refilled friday.
federal records show at least $14.8 million in contracts were awarded for the project.
and visitors standing at the edge of the freshly filled pool on friday looked at the water and said it doesn’t really look blue.
What Trump Did to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
the lincoln memorial reflecting pool blue paint project began when trump revealed plans to resurface the pool’s basin with what he described as an “american flag blue” industrial-grade swimming pool coating.
the reflecting pool is more than 100 years old. trump said the existing granite was scrubbed and grouted, and that an industrial grade swimming pool topping would be applied in the color “american flag blue.”
trump initiated the project after a friend complained about the pool’s appearance.
atlantic industrial coatings, a virginia company, was awarded a no-bid contract for the project.
no competitive bidding process. one company. one contract. awarded directly.
What Trump Said It Would Cost vs What Records Show
this is where the lincoln memorial reflecting pool blue paint story becomes a familiar one.
trump said the renovation would cost between $1.5 million and $2 million.
records show that $14.8 million in contracts were awarded for the project.
that is seven times what trump told the public it would cost.
the interior department attributed the higher cost to the quick timeline needed to complete the renovation in time for the country’s 250th birthday celebrations.
the 250th anniversary of american independence is july 4, 2026. trump wanted the pool done before then. and the contractor charged accordingly.
The Foam and the Cracks
the reflecting pool has had a leaking problem for decades. the slabs that form its basin grow and shrink with temperature fluctuations, and the seals between them need to stretch while remaining watertight.
the company currently working on the pool is “stuffing pieces of solid foam into the gaps” and then adding the “american flag blue” tinted sealant compound on top in an attempt to lock it in.
documents show that the firm’s efforts to stop the leaking this way had already failed twice before the project was completed.
foam. stuffed into cracks. in a 100-year-old national landmark. after failing twice.
What Visitors Said When It Refilled
water flowed back into the lincoln memorial reflecting pool on friday after the weeks-long renovation. and to many onlookers, it doesn’t look much different.
“i’m colorblind, so it doesn’t look blue yet,” said terry barzanti, a maryland resident who works nearby. “i’m not colorblind and it doesn’t look blue,” laughed his coworker edgar sadsad, who found it more grey. other passersby described it as closer to black.
the color that trump called “american flag blue” the color that justified a $14.8 million no-bid contract looks grey to the people standing next to it.
What This Pool Actually Is
the lincoln memorial reflecting pool is not just any body of water in washington.
it is the pool in front of which martin luther king jr. stood on august 28, 1963 and delivered the “i have a dream” speech to 250,000 people gathered on the national mall.
it is one of the most historically significant physical spaces in america. it has been there since the 1920s.
a nonprofit called the cultural landscape foundation filed a lawsuit arguing the project violates federal laws requiring the interior department to complete a consultation process that includes notifying the public and getting input from other federal agencies before beginning the work.
the group also argued the project ran afoul of a federal law requiring an assessment of how the paint job would impact the environment.
the lawsuit was still pending when the administration informed the court that the work had been completed rendering the legal challenge largely moot.
The Pattern
the lincoln memorial reflecting pool blue paint project is the latest in a series of national landmark decisions that follow the same pattern.
trump said the ballroom would cost zero taxpayer dollars. a $1.3 billion figure appeared in a reconciliation bill.
trump said the reflecting pool would cost $2 million. federal records show $14.8 million.
the kennedy center was renamed without congressional authorization. a federal judge ordered the name removed.
the $250 bill proposal would require changing a 160-year-old law.
each project follows the same arc a public announcement with a number that turns out to be wrong, a contractor chosen without competitive bidding, and a result that draws criticism from historians and preservationists.
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Blue Paint The Bottom Line
trump has put the cost of the work on the pool at $1.5 million to $2 million, but records show at least $14.8 million worth of contracts has been awarded for the project.
the pool is now refilled. whether the foam stuffed into its cracks will hold is unknown.
visitors standing next to it on friday couldn’t tell it was blue.
the man who said it would cost $2 million drove across the drained basin in a vehicle to inspect it personally. he called it beautiful.
the project also appears to cost more than trump said it would.
that sentence written by npr is one that has appeared in a remarkable number of stories about trump administration projects in recent months.
follow this blog for updates as the reflecting pool situation and the broader pattern develops.
