THE neo-nazi fascist NOT MY pres drumpf/tump, drippings extraordinaire, continues to lie about his corruption, grifting and incompetence as reported on the ongoing saga of the Reflecting Pool in the following from ABC, CBS, MS NOW and the New York Times. drumpf/trump claims, without proof, that many people have been arrested and charged with damaging the Reflecting Pool and should be sentenced to years in jail for the very serious crimes of destruction of National Monuments ( excuse me, what about those you pardoned that attacked and damaged not only police but the U.S. Capital Bldg too, you disgusting hypocritical fascist pig drumpf/trump? ).
Reflecting Pool renovations to cost more than $16 million
The pool has experienced algae and peeling since being repainted.
The cost to repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has ballooned to more than $14.65 million -- exceeding the original estimated cost of the no-bid contract by more than $4 million, according to federal contract data.
In addition to the repainting by Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the National Park Service paid $1.74 million to Green Water Solutions, an Ohio-based company, earlier this year to install a "nano bubble" system to kill algae, using a similar no-bid contract to speed up the work in time for Fourth of July celebrations.
Between the two companies that received separate contracts for the resurfacing and filtration systems, the project is set to cost more than $16 million. The status of the payments to the contractors was not immediately available in the federal government’s contract database.
The Interior Department said in a statement via X, "The advanced nanobubbler technology very effectively killed the algae that has plagued every Lincoln Reflecting Pool reopening—most infamously Obama's reopening—since 1922. The Reflecting Pool water is crystal clear, and our National Park Service team is now vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom of some parts of the Reflecting Pool—just like the destroyed Iranian Navy resting on the bottom of the Persian Gulf."
Trump has repeatedly defended the project, though the new paint job -- described in the contract documents as a “seamless, monolithic, waterproof, antimicrobial, and anti-algae system suitable for continuous submersion” -- and appears to be peeling, and an algae bloom has overtaken the reflecting pool.
“As a developer, I've probably built more than 100 swimming pools in different buildings I built, and I have some really good pool builders,” Trump said in April about the project. “They're great people. I have such great respect for contractors that are good and such disdain for contractors that are bad. They charge you more money and they give you a bad job, but we -- we don't accept it.”
In the two weeks since the repainting of the reflecting pool was completed, Atlantic Industrial Coatings was also awarded two payments totaling $1.54 million, a total of $14.65 million since it began the project. Contracting documents offered few details about the extra payments, other than saying the work was within the scope of their original agreement and describing it as " PAINT LINCOLN REFLECTING POOL.”
The millions of dollars being paid to the contractor are taxpayer funds. ABC News has sent repeated requests to Atlantic Industrial Coatings for comment.
Trump says multiple people have been arrested for allegedly vandalizing Reflecting Pool
The United States Park Police have arrested multiple people for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, President Trump said Saturday, days after algae turned the water a fluorescent green hue and rips appeared in an "American Flag Blue" surface handpicked by the president.
"The United States Park Police have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nations magnificent Reflecting Poll (sic)," Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post Saturday. "Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail! Work will begin immediately on its repair."
The U.S. Park Police Office of Public Information told CBS News on Monday that five people had been arrested for vandalism and another five were issued federal citations. A total of 14 police reports have been filed, an administration official told CBS News, including one for an unidentified individual whom Mr. Trump claimed used a blade to "put a 250 foot long gash into the beautiful facade."
The National Park Service did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment.
Mr. Trump said Saturday night that it's likely the Reflecting Pool will have to be drained again for what he termed "necessary repairs."
The president on Sunday wrote on Truth Social that work would "begin immediately on fixing the seriously vandalized Reflecting Pool," adding he had inspected the pool himself.
David Hearn, a 67-year-old Bethesda, Maryland, man who stopped by the pool while on a 64-mile bike ride, said authorities arrested him and held him for five hours on Friday after he reached down into the pool.
Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer who owned a company that provided materials to build watercraft, said it was scientific interest that drew him to the pool. He told The Associated Press he wanted to examine the peeling new coating on the bottom of the pool that Mr. Trump had ordered installed.
He said he briefly touched a chunk that was still attached to the side of the pool, then let go shortly after a park worker told him to. But, Hearn said, he was then detained by National Guard troops and Park Police.
"I'm a curious citizen," Hearn said in a telephone interview. "I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery."
The Washington Post first reported on Hearn's arrest, and he said he has a date to appear in court next month and is looking for legal help.
In a Truth Social post Friday night, Mr. Trump alleged, without providing evidence, that three days prior, vandals had "destroyed the grass outside of the Pool" and had "also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed."
The Reflecting Pool has faced problems with leaks, algae and faulty plumbing for years. In April, the president launched an effort to address the pool's "terrible" condition, part of a slate of spring cleaning projects in Washington, D.C., ahead of the nation's 250th birthday.
After the pool was resurfaced and water was pumped back in, issues began to arise last week. Workers were seen in recent days removing algae from the Reflecting Pool, and on Tuesday morning, crews dumped bottles of hydrogen peroxide into the water.
Mr. Trump said Friday that "[t]he algae is 75% gone, and the condition will soon be completely remedied, and the area that was vandalized, fortunately, is just a small area of damage, and will be fixed early next week."
Even if someone pulled ribbons of paint from the side of the pool, it would not explain the clouds of algae in green water and swaths of loose blue paint detached from the bottom.
Mr. Trump insisted something nefarious has been going on at the scene. "No different than the chemicals that were used on the National Mall, they used something similar in the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work," he posted on Truth Social.
That was a reference to the discovery of large numbers etched in discolored grass on the National Mall the week before: "86 47." Authorities said the numbers could have been meant as a threat to Mr. Trump, the 47th president. The number 86 can be slang for "getting rid of." They are investigating.
President Donald Trump said Sunday that he had inspected the Lincoln Reflecting Pool and that work will begin “immediately” to fix the landmark, which has been beset by problems since it recently underwent a $14 million renovation.
“Work will begin immediately on fixing the seriously vandalized Reflecting Pool,” the president said in an early evening post on his social media platform. “I just inspected it and could only say to myself, and those gathered around me, WOW, who would do such a thing?” SICK, DERANGED PEOPLE!”
Trump apparently saw the pool during a flyover on his way back to Washington from Camp David.
On Saturday, Trump said the pool would have to be drained. “We met with contractors today, will probably be forced to release and drain much of the water in order to do the necessary repairs, but will have them done as quickly as possible,” he said on social media.
Trump said Saturday that law enforcement is investigating “vandalism” and suggested that “radical left lunatics” were behind some of the structure’s issues.
Almost immediately after the completion of the renovation, which was carried out at Trump’s behest, the Reflecting Pool’s water turned green from an algae bloom and the new blue paint began peeling off the bottom.
Trump said Friday night that vandals had damaged the pool. “Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed,” Trump wrote on social media, apparently referring to the stenciling of the numbers “86 47” on the lawn near the pool.
He added that vandals were trying to “destroy and demean our beautiful work.”
The president also accused ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl of “sticking his hand into the Pool, and trying to rip the rubber off of the surface.” Karl showed the peeling blue rubber from the bottom of the pool in a news segment that aired Thursday.
U.S. Park Police responded last week to a report of vandalism over the numbers “86 47” that were written into the grass near the pool. The Trump administration has called the use of those numbers in other instances a threat against the 47th U.S. president, an assertion at least one judge has dismissed.
On Friday, Park Police arrested a man on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property, The Washington Post reported. The man, former Olympic canoe competitor David Hearn, told the Post that he had noticed a piece of the pool liner was detached and reached into the water to feel it. He denied grabbing a hose from National Parks Service employees who were pumping out algae, as was claimed on social media.
On Saturday afternoon, Trump posted that Park Police had arrested “multiple” people for vandalizing the pool. “These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments,” the president wrote. “Years in jail!”
The Park Police had not responded as of Sunday evening to MS NOW’s request for comment on whether anyone else has been arrested regarding the Reflecting Pool.
Trump did not mention Hearn’s arrest or allude to that specific incident in his posts. A conviction on the misdemeanor charge Hearn faces is punishable by fines and up to a year in jail.
The pool renovation work had alarmed some Interior Department staff who expressed concern about the speed and quality of a contractor’s work on the structure, The New York Times reported last month, citing government documents.
The Interior Department resorted to pouring hydrogen peroxide into the water to eliminate the algae, which the pool has long been plagued by. On Wednesday, the department said it had “killed the algae” and that the National Park Service was “vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom of some parts” of the pool.
But the green hue of the water persisted into the weekend. Trump, however, said in his post Friday night that the algae in the pool “is 75% gone” and “will soon be completely remedied.”
The area he said was vandalized will be fixed early next week, he added.
The Interior Department previously said it was investigating the grass vandalism.
Erum Salam contributed to this report.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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President Trump says the peeling blue coating and algae blooms that mar his $16.4 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool are the fault of vandals working with “knives” in the “dark of night.”
But government documents obtained by The New York Times show that while National Park Service workers found two cuts in sections of foam between the pool’s expansion joints, those were not directly related to the “American flag blue” coating that is now peeling, or to the algae that has turned the pool a bright shade of green.
Even as the documents show workers were attempting to address deteriorating conditions, Trump administration officials were insisting publicly that the pool was pristine.
The pool had been drained, resealed and then refilled by June 5. Four days later, Park Service workers discovered holes, cracks and peeling caulking in parts of the pool, along with cuts in sections of the foam, according to the documents.
The cause of the cuts was unclear. While a June 9 report by the U.S. Park Police described the cuts as “razor blade slashes” made along a 20-foot-long stretch of the foam, the administration has yet to present evidence supporting that assertion. The documents reviewed by The Times described them as two 171-foot blade cuts but did not address how they were made.
By June 16, workers had noticed that chunks of blue sealant that covered the pool’s bottom were peeling and floating to the surface, the documents show. That sealant was separate from the foam in the pool’s expansion joints, which allow its concrete slabs to expand and contract.
The workers had also discovered that some devices installed to kill algae were not working as intended, according to the documents. And enormous algae blooms had turned portions of the pool bright green instead of dark blue.
But on June 15, Mr. Trump was still declaring the renovation a success, telling reporters that “I’m very good at building things and constructing things.”
The Reflecting Pool is a centerpiece of Mr. Trump’s attempts to remake the capital in honor of the nation’s 250th birthday. The pool has been plagued by leaks and algae for decades; Mr. Trump boasted that he had repaired it quickly and affordably, but both problems have returned in force.
Work to fix the problems may not be finished until after July 4 — a setback for the president, who wanted the renovation to be completed before then.
On Saturday, Mr. Trump acknowledged the pool would have to be at least partially drained for more work. On Tuesday, the president said on social media that six people had been arrested, and seven others had been cited, for slashing the pool’s sealant with a “sharp knife or razors.”
“It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night,” he wrote.
Mr. Trump also told reporters on Monday, without offering evidence, that vandals had poured fertilizer into the pool to feed the algae.
Neither the Interior Department nor the White House would provide charging documents, citations or the names of anyone arrested. They did share the Park Police incident report, which said any suspect or suspects were unknown. The report also did not mention any damage to the pool’s blue sealant, nor did it describe any vandals dumping fertilizer.
Katie Martin, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, did not answer specific questions about the government documents but said in an email on Tuesday that the pool was “clear” and “reflecting beautifully.”
“While President Trump was restoring a crown jewel of our nation’s capital, which is supported by Americans across the country, vandals were attempting to destroy, impede and delay the ongoing work,” she said.
On Tuesday, portions of the pool appeared dark blue and reflected the Washington Monument and the overcast sky. But an enormous clump of green algae remained visible in the center.
A few curiosity seekers braved the rain to stroll around the site, which has become a sightseeing draw. They were outnumbered by throngs of law enforcement officers and other personnel, including from the National Guard, Park Police and U.S. Marshals Service. The National Guard troops were stationed around the pool’s perimeter, with some huddling under trees to stay dry.
The administration is setting up fencing around the site before the July 4 fireworks display for safety reasons, Ms. Martin said. But it’s going up earlier than originally planned because of what she called an “increase in vandalism by leftist activists.”
The Trump administration awarded two no-bid contracts for the Reflecting Pool renovations, bypassing the legally required process of seeking competitive bids because of what it called an urgent need to complete the project for events around the nation’s 250th birthday.
The first $14.7 million contract went to a Virginia-based company called Atlantic Industrial Coatings to spread the sealant in the “American flag blue” shade across the pool’s concrete slabs. The second $1.7 million contract went to Ohio-based Greenwater Services to install devices called nanobubblers, which infuse the water with ozone to kill algae and bacteria.
On June 15, workers discovered that one or two of the four temporary nanobubblers weren’t working at any given time because of problems with generators, and that the water was turning green. By the next day, officials had noticed blue coating peeling, as well.
Representatives for Atlantic Industrial Coatings and Greenwater Services, also known as Green Water Solutions, did not respond to requests for comment.
Though Mr. Trump claimed vandals dumped fertilizer in the pool, his administration refilled it with D.C. municipal water, which is treated with phosphate to keep lead from leaching out of old pipes. But phosphate also provides nutrients for algae, as do droppings from ducks swimming in the pool.
In a post on its website on Sunday, Atlantic Industrial Coatings said that “a very small part of the massive 7-acre project” would require repairs. The company added that it would do the work under warranty.
Anthony Flett, the chief executive of U.S. Coating Specialists, a Florida-based company that specializes in waterproofing coatings, reviewed the documents at the request of The Times. He wouldn’t dismiss vandalism, but said it appeared that the sealant may be peeling off because not enough material was applied.
“I don’t want to totally blame the vandalism,” he said. “If they put more material down, maybe none of this would be an issue.”
“There’s people in the pool industry whose whole life is polyurea, and they should have been called in,” Mr. Flett said. “They should have been there to watch over the project to make sure that these failures weren’t prevalent. I think it was just done too hastily.”
The coating was made by a California-based company called Rhino Linings. Pierre Gagnon, the president and chief executive of Rhino Linings, said in an email that the peeling appeared to be “limited to isolated areas” of the pool.
Algae has bloomed frequently in the pool for decades. Its shallow, stagnant water becomes a petri dish for the aquatic organisms in the summer sun.
Experts said the algae didn’t threaten public health because the water is not intended for swimming or drinking. But they cautioned that if left unchecked, the blooms could give rise to cyanobacteria, which could be highly toxic to any ducks, dogs or other animals that drink the water.
“Just because it’s green algae this week doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to be cyanobacteria tomorrow,” said Ashley Bair, a senior research developer at Usalco, a company that makes coagulants and other water-treatment chemicals.
Ms. Bair, who spoke to The Times from a gathering of water-treatment experts in Washington, added that the Reflecting Pool was the talk of the conference.
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