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Trump to Speak at Restored Reflecting Pool Before Midterms
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In Short: President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks at the newly restored Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon at 2 pm ET, as part of his final voter push before the midterm elections.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks at the newly restored Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon at 2 pm ET, as part of his final voter push before the midterm elections.
According to Business Upturn and NTD News, the event is billed as Trump's 'closing message before the Midterms.' Trump told reporters as he deplaned from Air Force One for a rally in Iowa that his speaking at the site would 'show how beautiful it is,' noting that the pool, nonfunctional since 1922 due to leaks, now works well with new security cameras after vandalism issues and repairs for algae and peeling.
The restoration project, which was completed nearly three months late and expanded to more than ten times Trump’s initial estimate, faced criticism for not including enough public input or being transparent. The reflecting pool, painted in what Trump called 'American flag blue,' was reopened on June 9 but closed again after July 4th celebrations due to damage.
The Cultural Landscape Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit, filed a lawsuit in May against the Department of the Interior, claiming that applying blue paint to the pool basin violated federal law. Despite the controversy, Trump said, 'It’s finished. It looks beautiful. It hasn’t worked since 1922; it has always leaked terribly, and it works really well now,' with security cameras added to stop vandalism.
The event highlights visible improvements at the iconic National Mall site as a final voter push before polls open. Trump is expected to talk up what his administration has achieved, along with the record of Republicans in Congress, and to speak about what his administration has been doing in the capital itself, including 'restoring our Great Capital,' a phrase that points to his push to renovate landmarks in Washington.
The address is expected to serve as Trump’s final campaign message, aiming to help Republicans retain control of Congress. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was among the renovation projects Trump initiated this year.
What's confirmed
- The reflecting pool, which had been nonfunctional since 1922 due to leaks, has now been restored to working order, with Trump having said “It’s finished. It looks beautiful. It hasn’t worked since 1922; it has always leaked terribly, and it works really well now,” with the president having said that security cameras have since been added to stop vandalism, with the pool having been quickly drained anew for repairs in mid-July after algae blooms and peeling of the “American-flag blue” liner.
What's still developing
- As part of the restoration, crews applied an industrial-grade swimming pool coating, replacing the original gray stone bottom.