The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is getting a makeover.
That’s according to President Donald Trump, who announced Thursday from the Oval Office the renovation will include coating the swimming pool surface in “American flag blue.”
Trump, who said the coating had begun, was inspired to tackle the project after a friend from Germany visited and commented the water was filthy and looked disgusting.
“And I went over there with Secret Service in tow, and I said, isn’t that a shame? That’s terrible,” Trump said.
The project is one of many Trump has initiated, including the demolition of the White House’s East Wing to make room for a new ballroom.
The reflecting pool stretched between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.
It is one of the most iconic sites in the capital and the site where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.
Trump hinted the reflection pool project is a case study in business acumen.
The president said he discarded plans to have the granite replaced, which he said was estimated to cost $301 million and would take at least three years.
Trump said he called a few pool contractors he knows from past real estate projects.
“I have a guy who’s unbelievable at doing swimming pools up the road,” Trump said.
The president went with a plan to clean the granite and lay down a new “industrial grade pool” surface for $1.5 million, he said.
It should take a few weeks to complete. Trump noted it would be ready well before July 4, when the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence.
At first, Trump wanted a turquoise-colored surface “like in the Bahamas.”
A contractor then suggested “American flag blue.”
“You’re going to end up with a beautiful, beautiful reflecting pool,” Trump said, “the way it’s supposed to be, much better than it ever was.”
