Plans for a reflecting pool along the National Mall began after President Trump launched a $400 million plan to build a White House ballroom and Arc de Triomphe on an island in the Potomac River.
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WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump announced a project to repair the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall after complaints about sewage and foundation leaks.
Trump said the Biden administration had considered replacing the granite in the iconic pool, but did not break ground on the project, which is estimated to cost $301 million and take more than three years.
Instead, Trump said contractors will spend an estimated $1.5 million to sandblast, caulk and resurface the bottom to make it look like an industrial-grade pool, and expect it to be completed in a few weeks.
“We can get better products for a fraction of the cost and time,” President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on April 23 during an event on drug prices.
President Trump is preparing the capital as a showcase for the World Cup soccer games and the nation’s 250 tournaments in June and July.th He also proposes building a $400 million ballroom for the White House and building an Arch of Triumph on an island in the Potomac River.
President Trump referenced the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech in front of a reflecting pool in 1963 to a crowd of 1 million people. President Trump, who said he also gave a speech there during his first term, disputed the crowd estimate of 25,000 and said the audience was probably larger than Dr. King’s audience.
“The audience will be exactly the same, maybe even a little larger,” Trump said.
The reflecting pool was built in 1922. President Trump described it as bizarre. It is 2,200 feet long, 167 feet wide, and approximately 1.5 to 2 feet deep.
President Trump said the granite and other stones used in its construction were not optimal for holding water, like the hundreds of pools he built as a real estate developer.
“It was leaking like a sieve,” Trump said.
The president added that he toured the pool after hearing about the situation from a friend visiting from Germany, who called it “sad.”
“He said the water was filthy, dirty and looked terrible,” Trump said. “It’s not representative of the country.”
When a contractor working on the project asked him what color he wanted the bottom to be, Trump said he suggested “a turquoise color like the Bahamas.” But Trump said the person quickly convinced him to choose a color, and he chose “Stars and Stripes Blue.”
“That’s my favorite color,” Trump said.
