Officially opened in 1923, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is one of the most historically significant locations in Washington, D.C.
It is where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, and 100,000 anti-Vietnam War protesters gathered for the “March on the Pentagon” in 1967.
In April 2026, President Donald Trump announced a renovation project for the pool that ultimately cost $14.2 million.
After it was refilled with water and reopened in early June, before-and-after photos of the Reflecting Pool began circulating on social media. Many argued that the result was not sufficiently distinguishable to justify the amount spent.
“The only difference I see is camera quality,” one user said.
Donald Trump’s $14.2 million renovation project has failed to impress netizens
Image credits: The White House
In April, Donald Trump revealed that a friend from Germany visited the Reflecting Pool and found it “filthy” and “dirty,” labeling the water “disgusting-looking,” which prompted him to start the renovations.
Trump initially said it would cost only $1.8 million, but the Interior Department’s latest invoice shows it ended up costing $14.2 million.
Image credits: Ramach30/Wikimedia
In May 2026, Trump argued that, despite the $12 million cost increase, he was still getting it done “for a fraction” of what his predecessors spent.
According to a federal contract record, the Obama administration undertook a $35.3 million repair and rehabilitation project for the pool in 2010-2012.
In a June press conference, days after the pool’s reopening, Trump claimed that it was “always leaking” and alleged that it never worked properly since its creation more than 100 years ago:
“It’s pretty amazing what’s happened and, you know, I hate to say it won’t leak, but it won’t leak. Because we use a material that doesn’t allow leaks.”
Image credits: FOX 5 Washington, D.C.
However, photos of the pool’s new look failed to impress netizens, many of whom could barely tell the difference between the before and after snaps.
“Looking at those photos, Trump has even improved the color of the grass and the trees,” one netizen joked, suggesting that the “after” photo was doctored.
Another said, “They painted the sky background too to the same dark blue color?”
“You can see it’s been filtered simply by the background sky,” a third speculated. A fourth commented, “As a long-time Photoshop user, I see two manipulated images.”
Visitors have already spotted algae in the “American Flag Blue” pool
Over the last few weeks, Donald Trump heavily promoted the renovation project, promising a “beautiful” new look painted in a new shade of blue.
In an Oval Office press conference on June 11, Trump admitted that he wanted a lighter turquoise color, “like in the Bahamas.” But Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the company appointed for the job, allegedly suggested “American Flag Blue.”
A few citizens who have already visited the pool have helped everyone else get a sense of what it looks like in real life.
Image credits: The White House
“I needed to come down to see if it was actually reflecting, and it wasn’t bright blue. And I’m impressed, to be honest. It reflects beautifully,” said Lara Harvey from Bethesda, Maryland, as per CNN. “I was expecting a swimming pool. I was expecting swimming pool blue, but I’m really surprised.”
Kyra Brown, a Washington, D.C. resident, was skeptical about whether the renovations were necessary: “It doesn’t look that much different, honestly, to me.”
Marcus Tate from Alexandria was among the many who spotted visible algae already visible from the water’s edge.
Image credits: FOX 5 Washington, D.C.
“What you are seeing is residual algae from the supply lines, which have been sitting dormant for eight weeks while construction has been taking place,” Interior Department’s communications director Kate Martin addressed the issue in a statement.
“It’s part of the normal startup process. We are removing the algae, and the nanobubblers will maintain the pool and keep it algae-free,” she said, adding that the pool now has a “state-of-the-art ozone nanobubbler filtration system” funded by the National Park Service.
A “Trump Promenade” has been proposed as the next Washington, D.C. project
Image credits: EarthCam/X
President Donald Trump wants to do more with the National Mall.
At Thursday’s press conference, he announced that his next Washington construction project would be a pedestrian bridge connecting the area to the Potomac River beyond.
The walkway would flank the Lincoln Memorial and bypass a pair of public roadways to take visitors to the river, Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said.
“It’s a beautiful project, and it’s going to take the Lincoln Memorial right down to the Potomac,” Trump offered, revealing that a name for the bridge is yet to be determined.
“They want to call it the ‘Trump Promenade,’ but I don’t know if I want to do that,” he said.
Bergum added that the goal of this project is to make it easier for tourists to navigate the heart of Washington, D.C.
Trump also said that he was planning to restore the “main entry” of the Lincoln Memorial, claiming that the monument’s “front was supposed to be the back, the back was supposed to be the front.”
Image credits: The White House
Experts have expressed confusion over Trump’s statement.
“What a mess,” said Caren Yglesias, an architect and professor of architecture at the University of Maryland. “Look up the McMillan Plan (planning document for the National Mall), and you’ll see many different elements that were not built.”
“It has been airbrushed.” Netizens raised questions about Donald Trump’s $14.2 million renovation project
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