Lawsuit Seeks to Stop Reflecting Pool Paint Job
Is Trump's Reflecting Pool renovation a patriotic upgrade or an illegal makeover of a beloved landmark?
Above: Workers at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington. Image credit: Probal Rashid/LightRocket/Getty Images
The Spin
Anti-Trump narrative
Slapping a blue coat on the reflecting pool would turn a solemn national landmark into something out of a resort brochure. The pool's dark, understated basin was engineered to create a reflective corridor connecting the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. Plus, skipping required reviews makes this renovation legally indefensible.
Pro-Trump narrative
The reflecting pool is a genuine mess, with cracked foundations, broken pipes, fungus and trash. But the TCLA, which previously sued to block Trump's ballroom, is weaponizing preservation law to stop a cost-effective renovation timed for the World Cup and the 250th national celebration. Blocking a practical, affordable fix to score political points is a disservice to every American.
