Archive · 13 Sep 2026
Trump Defends Lincoln Pool as Renovation Flaws Emerge
The Lincoln Memorial has a large pool with a blue coating.
The pool was renovated in a project costing $16.4 million.
Soon after it reopened, the water turned green and the coating began to peel.
The Trump administration first said people had damaged the pool on purpose.
A former Olympian, David Hearn, was arrested in connection with the alleged vandalism.
Prosecutors later dropped the charges.
Government documents and the contractor said the renovation may have used chemicals that did not work well together.
President Trump criticized a New York Times report about the pool.
The report said construction problems, rather than vandalism, caused the damage.
Donald Trump criticized a New York Times report about the deteriorating Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Internal documents and the contractor reportedly attributed the damage to incompatible chemicals and construction errors.
The Trump administration had initially blamed bubbling and peeling on deliberate vandalism.
Charges against former Olympian David Hearn were later dropped after officials acknowledged renovation-related structural damage.
The $16.4 million renovation was unveiled June 6, but the pool turned green and began peeling within weeks.
- Who
- President Donald Trump, the New York Times, the United States Department of the Interior, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, and former Olympian David Hearn.
- What
- A dispute arose over whether damage to the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was caused by vandalism or renovation defects.
- When
- The renovation was unveiled June 6; the pool turned green by June 14 and its coating began peeling by June 18. Trump responded to the report on a Sunday early morning.
- Where
- The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in the United States.
- Why
- The pool deteriorated soon after renovation, prompting conflicting explanations about the cause and criticism of the reporting.
Renovation flaws caused the damage
Vandalism caused the damage
Cause of the bubbling and peeling
Renovation flaws caused the damage
The New York Times reported that internal government documents and Atlantic Industrial Coatings blamed design and construction errors, including two incompatible chemical layers.
Vandalism caused the damage
The Trump administration initially said people had deliberately vandalized the liner with knives or box cutters.
Evidence and accountability
Renovation flaws caused the damage
The Department of Justice later dropped charges against David Hearn and acknowledged that structural damage resulted from flawed renovation work.
Vandalism caused the damage
The Department of the Interior criticized the New York Times for focusing on the pool liner while not reporting vandalism at the site.
Response to the reporting
Renovation flaws caused the damage
The Times published an investigative report describing the pool's deterioration and attributing it to renovation problems.
Vandalism caused the damage
Donald Trump shared a Department of the Interior post attacking the report, including its timing on the 25th anniversary of September 11.
- Renovation cost
- $16.4 million
- Unveiling date
- June 6
- First reported color change
- By June 14, the pool's blue color had turned green.
- Peeling reported
- By June 18, the blue coating was peeling away.
- Initial administration claim
- Officials attributed the damage to deliberate vandalism involving knives or box cutters.
- Contractor's explanation
- Atlantic Industrial Coatings reportedly cited design and construction errors involving incompatible chemicals.
- Repair contract
- The Trump administration awarded a $2.7 million contract to a Massachusetts company to address the algae problem.