Trump shares new photos of Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation: 'Looking really good'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump shared fresh photos Saturday, May 16, of the ongoing renovation work at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying the hotly anticipated revamp is already ahead of schedule and on track to wrap before the Fourth of July.

The photos were posted to Trump’s Truth Social account and showed a sample test section of the basin with the Lincoln Memorial on one end and the Washington Monument standing tall on the other. Blue skies and scattered white clouds reflected sharply across the water.

“Looking really good! Should be completed before the Fourth of July, our target date,” Trump wrote Saturday afternoon.

The President also said the administration has “substantially upgraded construction materials, including surface qualities, sandblasting granite, and exterior stone and walkways.”

In another post earlier in the day, Trump said he had “decided to go to a much higher level of repair, using industrial strength materials, which will give a longer life, and a better look,” while noting the work is “ahead of schedule.”

He added, “I’ve made this a much larger job than originally contemplated for purposes of Beauty, and a much longer life. Also, went to a higher quality sealer with more reflectivity. Check it out before the Opening — It’s a very exciting project!”

Critics sound alarm over 'American flag blue' coating

Not everyone is sold on the makeover.

Critics have raised concerns over reports that the historic pool is being resurfaced with “industrial-grade” material in a color described as “American flag blue.” The backlash grew loud enough that the nonprofit Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) filed a lawsuit against the National Park Service seeking to stop the project.

“The vivid blue coating will fundamentally alter the visual and experiential character of the pool and the broader Lincoln Memorial Grounds landscape,” they wrote in a complaint obtained by Politico. “The new coloration will cause the pool to resemble a large swimming pool rather than the reflective civic landscape it was designed to be, distorting the experience of the site for the millions of visitors who come to it each year.”

When asked Saturday about Trump’s newly released photos, TCLF president and CEO Charles A. Birnbaum told Fox News that “the primary issue is whether the law was followed before the painting began.”

“Since the Reflecting Pool is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, reviews of work that would alter a key character-defining feature of this important national symbol should be subject to reviews under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act; and this project should have been reviewed by the US Commission of Fine Arts, as other work on the Reflecting Pool has been reviewed over the past century,” Birnbaum said.

The TCLF describes itself as a Washington, DC-based education and advocacy organization, not a preservation group.

White House pushes back after report questions timeline

Trump’s emphasis on the construction materials and completion timeline came just days after a New York Times report claimed Interior Department staff had concerns about bubbles, small holes, and uneven coloring in portions of the refinished surface.

The report also alleged that internal documents showed only 35% of the pool had been fully coated as of Sunday, while key joints still had not been replaced. It raised questions about whether the project could realistically be finished by Independence Day.

Interior Department spokesperson Katie Martin pushed back on the concerns, telling the Times that different sections of the basin were simply in different stages of repair.

“The final product will be uniform, as the plan depicts,” Martin said. “As with any project, there will be revisions to the process to ensure the most efficient tools are used to get to the end goal.”

The White House also defended the project.

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News that “the restoration effort will be completed ahead of America’s 250th celebrations and for a fraction of the cost that the former Presidents Obama and Biden squandered only to worsen its condition. Thanks to President Trump, the Reflecting Pool will be restored to all its glory!”