President Donald Trump presented signed hats and official presidential challenge coins to workers who completed the restoration of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool on Tuesday evening at the White House. The team, which finished their work in time for the 250th anniversary celebration of the Declaration of Independence, described themselves as “grins and laughter” during their visit.
The renovation project, finalized last week, involved draining the pool, cleaning it thoroughly, painting and sealing it with an industrial-strength blue coating, and refilling it. Trump praised the material as “highly sophisticated,” noting its durability and color that matched “the dark blue of the American Flag.”
During a press conference after the visit, Trump joked that while the pool might become “filthy again” under another president, it would remain “perfect” during his term in office. He also stated the renovation ensured the pool would never leak. The reflecting pool, originally constructed and opened in 1922, had undergone a prior renovation under President Barack Obama that included installing a new circulation system. The current project initially budgeted at $1.8 million but ultimately cost more than $13 million.
A group of historic preservationists recently filed a lawsuit claiming the blue coating altered the pool’s “historic character” without proper preservation review. Trump expressed pride in the restoration, stating: “I’m very proud of it… I’m very good at building things and constructing things.”
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