Trump Inspects Renovations to Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

President Donald Trump visited the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Thursday, May 7, 2026, riding across the emptied basin in a vehicle to inspect renovations he ordered. D.C. He got out of the vehicle and answered questions from reporters gathered at the site.

An ABC News reporter asked President Trump why he was focusing on renovating the pool amid the Iran war. ” “This was a disgusting place,” Trump said. He stated that 11 or 12 truckloads of garbage were taken out of the reflecting pool.

The United States is about beauty, cleanliness, safety, great people, and not a filthy capital, he said. Trump announced the renovations on April 23, 2026. A friend of his from Germany who visited the site a few years ago called it disgusting and not representative of the country.

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was built around 1922 out of granite and various stones on the bottom. “It never looked great because the stone is not meant to be underwater for long periods,” Trump said. He called the pond incredible but said its condition was terrible.

The president hired some of the best contractors he has worked with to assess the pond. One contractor told Trump the pool was decaying and could be cleaned up in about two weeks. The pool is being repainted the color American Flag Blue.

The sidewalk areas around the pool will be updated and sandblasted. The renovations were previously estimated to cost $301 million and take 3 to 3 1/2 years. 5 million.

He said the makeover will take much less time than the previous estimate. “In a couple of weeks, we’re going to have the most beautiful reflective pool between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial that you’ve ever seen,” Trump said. He handpicked a firm that had worked on his swimming pool to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.