Chris Hayes calls Trump's $14M Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool revamp an 'embarrassing mess'
WASHINGTON, DC: MS NOW host Chris Hayes used the current condition of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to argue that one of President Donald Trump's most visible Washington beautification projects has become a public embarrassment rather than the showcase he promised.
Hayes said the highly visible landmark now undercuts the president's own messaging about improving the nation's capital.
Chris Hayes targets Trump's Reflecting Pool project
On MS NOW, Hayes called the green Reflecting Pool "the most visually arresting metaphor" for Trump's era in Washington.
As per reports, the Republican leader spent $14 million to clean and restore the pool after blaming former President Barack Obama for its condition.
The president promised to turn the green-hued water into a serene blue pool that would reflect the sky and the monuments surrounding it.
According to Hayes, the outcome has been far different.
Instead, he described the Reflecting Pool as a "leaky, peeling, algae-infested mess" that is "getting worse by the day."
Hayes argued that the project's current condition creates a visible contradiction for an administration that has heavily promoted beautification efforts across Washington.
Chris Hayes highlights tourists' criticism of Reflecting Pool's condition
Hayes played footage of tourists reacting to the Reflecting Pool, with some expressing frustration over what they saw.
One visitor described the condition of the landmark as a "national embarrassment."
Hayes noted that the pool now appears worse than it did before the renovation effort. He also pointed to reports that chunks of the newly- nstalled "American flag blue" paint are peeling away from the bottom of the pool and being collected by tourists as souvenirs.
The MS NOW host then turned his attention to the federal government's response to criticism of the project.
Chris Hayes questions Trump admin's response and contractor involved in revamp
"Of course, in absolutely true Trumpian form, no one in the mad king's government can tell the king the truth about what we all see with our own eyes," Hayes said while discussing the administration's handling of complaints about the pool.
He cited a Department of the Interior statement that maintained the Reflecting Pool's water is "crystal clear."
"That, of course, is obviously not true," Hayes responded.
He also examined the contracting process behind the renovation and said he found what he described as "an old-fashioned corruption angle" involving two no-bid contracts.
According to Hayes, one of those contracts went to Trump donor and Mar-a-Lago neighbor John Cafaro.
The host further argued that Trump has taken a hands-on role in other White House beautification projects and said there was little reason to believe the Reflecting Pool project was any different.
"He probably micromanages this just like he's done with the destruction of the East Wing for his ballroom and his UFC birthday bash," Hayes said.
"And, as with those vanity projects, this one has turned into a corrupt, incompetent, expensive, and embarrassing mess he is trying desperately to cover up," he added.
