{"id":844288,"date":"2026-06-04T17:34:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T17:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/844288\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T17:34:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T17:34:23","slug":"trump-says-reflecting-pool-work-is-done-and-its-set-to-be-filled-with-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/844288\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump says Reflecting Pool work is done and it\u2019s set to be filled with water"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is done, and it\u2019s set to be filled with water any day now, his administration says.<\/p>\n

Trump noted the work to paint the shallow basin a deep shade, which he calls \u201cAmerican flag blue,\u201d was completed on Wednesday. The administration said in a court filing<\/a> it\u2019s set to be filled with water no later than Sunday.<\/p>\n

As of early Thursday, there were still vehicles in the basin and no sign of water in it.<\/p>\n

Trump has put the cost of the work on the pool at $1.5 million to $2 million, but records show<\/a> at least $14.8 million worth of contracts has been awarded<\/a> for the project. The president announced the work in April during an unrelated Oval Office appearance, saying he was inspired by complaints from a friend visiting from Germany who called the pool dark and disgusting.<\/p>\n

The project is another way for Trump to leave his mark on the city, following the demolition of the White House East Wing<\/a> to build a large ballroom and plans to build an arch<\/a> between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.<\/p>\n

The reflecting pool, which is more than 2,000 feet long, was originally built in the 1920s<\/a>. It sits between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument and is one of the most iconic sites in Washington. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously gave his \u201cI Have a Dream\u201d speech there in 1963.<\/p>\n

The basin held about 6.5 million gallons of water \u2014 roughly as much as 10 Olympic-size swimming pools \u2014 before a 2012 renovation, according to the National Park Service. Under that earlier renovation, the pool was reengineered with a circulation and filtration system so that instead of using the city\u2019s drinking water, it draws river water from the nearby Tidal Basin. Washington and its surrounding states are facing drought conditions.<\/p>\n