President Donald Trump said repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool are nearly finished, with the landmark expected to be refilled this week after infrastructure and landscaping work.
Reflecting Pool Repairs Near Completion
On Tuesday, Trump spoke with reporters outside the White House about the Reflecting Pool in a video shared on X by the Rapid Response 47 account.
“I think they’re going to fill it up this week. The Reflecting Pool is totally complete,” Trump said.
The President said vandalism had prompted additional work to protect the landmark.
“We had vandalism there and we have it about as vandal-proof as you can get,” he said. “But only sick people do that, and we have their pictures”
He also said workers replaced the old pipes sooner than planned after the project missed its intended July 4 opening.
“We wanted to get open for July 4th,” Trump said. “And now we wanted to get rid of all of the old pipes, which we were going to do later during the winter. We did it.”
He also said the grass around the pool was damaged and had to be replaced.
“They destroyed the brand new beautiful grass at the Reflecting Pool,” Trump said. “We put all new grass in again and this is brand new grass”
He added that workers used about “200 loads of brand new top soil” and said the grass “is going to be very healthy.”
Earlier Dispute Over Damage
In August, Trump acknowledged “some contractor error” during the Reflecting Pool renovation but continued to accuse former Olympian David “Davey” Hearn of vandalism.
Earlier that month, Trump rejected Justice Department findings that a “rushed and flawed installation process” caused the pool lining to peel, maintaining that the major damage was caused by “VANDALS.”
Prosecutors had sought to drop the case against Hearn and identified Atlantic Industrial Coatings as responsible for the flawed work.
Reflecting Pool Damage
In June, Trump said additional suspects had been arrested over alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, including a 250-foot-long gash and corrosive chemicals in the water.
In July, crews drained the pool for repairs after peeling paint and green algae emerged, delaying its planned 250th anniversary showcase.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock/ IAB Studio
