Trump Orders Lincoln Reflecting Pool Resurfaced in Blue

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his administration is resurfacing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with an "industrial-grade" surface colored "American flag blue." The project, estimated to cost $1.5 million and take about a week, began with contractors laying down a new surface atop the pool's stone flooring. Trump, who cited his experience as a real estate developer, described the pool as "terrible" and promised the renovation would result in a "beautiful" outcome. The Reflecting Pool, a historic site that hosted Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech, was last comprehensively renovated in 2012 using $34 million in Obama-era stimulus funding. The National Park Service has since conducted periodic maintenance, including draining the pool to remove algae, debris, and goose droppings. Trump also claimed that his 2019 July Fourth rally at the Lincoln Memorial drew a crowd comparable to or larger than King's historic speech, though he acknowledged the 70-year gap between the events. The president also highlighted other Washington renovations, including an outdoor path leading to the Oval Office and plans for a 250-foot "Independence Arch" near Arlington National Cemetery.