WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced a plan to renovate the reflecting pool near the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., saying the project will resurface the structure as part of ongoing construction work that began two weeks earlier.
Trump said in the Oval Office that the administration will replace the pool’s current surface and install new materials as part of the renovation. He said the pool would be restored “the way it’s supposed to be” and described its current condition as “filthy.”
Trump said the new surface would use “the latest and greatest filament” and would be colored “American flag blue.” He also said he contacted a pool contractor who quoted $1.5 million to remove the existing granite.
The reflecting pool is located east of the Lincoln Memorial and measures about 2,000 feet in length. It receives an estimated 24 million visitors annually, according to figures cited in the report.
Trump also said his administration has approved other redevelopment projects in Washington, including a ballroom expansion at the White House that would replace the East Wing. He also said he renamed the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts” ahead of a planned renovation of the building.
