WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� is having the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool coated in a swimming pool surface hued in 鈥淎merican flag blue,鈥� covering up a decades-old granite surface that he said was 鈥渓eaking like a sieve鈥� and would take years to replace.
The president announced the renovation at an Oval Office event Thursday, saying the coating had already begun. He was inspired to tackle the project after a friend visited from Germany and lamented that the water was filthy and looked disgusting, Trump said.
鈥淎nd I went over there with Secret Service in tow, and I said, isn鈥檛 that a shame? That鈥檚 terrible,鈥� Trump said, showing reporters a photo of the site as it undergoes work.
The project is one more makeover refashioning the nation鈥檚 capital to Trump鈥檚 liking, following others such as the demolition of the White House’s East Wing to make room
Lined with stately elm trees between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, the reflecting pool is one of the most iconic sites in the capital. It鈥檚 where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous 鈥淚 Have a Dream鈥� speech in 1963.
In Trump鈥檚 telling, the reflection pool project is a case study in business acumen. The president said he scrapped plans to have the granite replaced, which he said was estimated to cost $301 million and would take at least three years.
Instead, Trump said he called a few pool contractors he knows from past real estate projects 鈥� 鈥淚 have a guy who鈥檚 unbelievable at doing swimming pools up the road,鈥� Trump said.
The president went with a plan to clean the granite and lay down a new 鈥渋ndustrial grade pool鈥� surface for $1.5 million, he said. All told, it would take a few weeks. Trump noted it would be ready well before July 4, when the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence.
Trump brought up the project unprompted and spoke about it for several minutes at a White House event on efforts to reduce drug prices. He said he initially wanted a turquoise-colored surface 鈥渓ike in the Bahamas鈥� but was sold when a contractor suggested 鈥淎merican flag blue.鈥�
鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to end up with a beautiful, beautiful reflecting pool,鈥� Trump said, 鈥渢he way it鈥檚 supposed to be, much better than it ever was.鈥�
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