Storms Batter $20 Million Reflecting Pool Overhaul, Deepening Trump Delays
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Sep 5
Storms Batter $20 Million Reflecting Pool Overhaul, Deepening Trump Delays
3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Sep 5
Summary
Powerful storms left the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ringed by toppled fencing, fallen trees, debris and dirty floodwater, forcing another cleanup before repairs can resume.
The latest setback hit days after Trump said the pool was “almost completely fixed,” even as the taxpayer-funded renovation had already slipped far beyond its original timeline.
Costs have swelled from Trump’s initial $1.5 million estimate to nearly $20 million after the pool was drained in April for leak repairs and a planned repainting.
The project has also been dogged by a collapsed vandalism case: prosecutors moved to drop charges against former Olympian David Hearn after saying contractor errors, not sabotage, caused the damage.
The pool has become part of a wider pattern of contested Trump building projects, including a proposed 250-foot triumphal arch and a White House ballroom that still faces legal criticism.