Trump Says He’s Renovating ‘Filthy’ Reflecting Pool on the Nationwide Mall

Next up on President Trump’s renovation tour of Washington, D.C.: the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, which he referred to as “filthy” and “dirty” and in want of a significant improve.

Mr. Trump stated on Thursday that the challenge was already underway to renovate the reflecting pool, which is greater than 2,000 ft lengthy and has been the location of many historic occasions, together with Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

The president stated he could be utilizing a contractor he is aware of from his years in actual property.

“Over the years as a developer, I’ve probably built more than 100 swimming pools,” the president stated, including, “I have some really good pool builders.”

Speaking throughout an occasion within the Oval Office about well being care, Mr. Trump detoured into one among his favourite matters: building.

“It’s filthy, dirty — the water’s disgusting looking,” Mr. Trump recalled a buddy telling him. “It’s not representative of the country.”

Mr. Trump stated he went to examine the reflecting pool with members of the U.S. Secret Service and Doug Burgum, the inside secretary. He stated one contractor proposed eradicating the pool’s granite and changing it with stone as a part of a three-year renovation that may price $300 million.

“I said, ‘No, there’s a better way of doing it,’” Mr. Trump recalled. “I said, ‘What we’re going to do is I’m going to call all three of these people that have worked for me in the past doing swimming pools.” He stated he advised the contractors to “give me a good price,” and one agreed to do the job for $1.5 million to $2 million.

He stated the contractor started work two weeks in the past and has “scrubbed” the floor of the pool.

“Now we have a nice, clean surface on which we’re putting an industrial grade swimming pool topping,” Mr. Trump stated in a video on social media. “They said, ‘What color would you like, sir? It’s called American flag blue. I said, ‘That’s the color I want; I want American flag blue.’”

Mr. Trump stated the renovated pool would final “for 40 or 50 years.”

“There’ll be no leaks; there’ll be no anything,” he stated. “It’ll look gorgeous, beautiful.”