It was the scene of some of the most historic moments in American life—Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Forrest Gump reuniting with his beloved Jenny, and countless marches, vigils, and national gatherings—and now the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is the target of a massive renovation by President Trump.
Just as he is draining the Washington swamp of its leviathan bureaucracy, the President is draining the iconic pool—literally and symbolically.
President Trump unveiled his latest renovation project in the heart of the nation’s capital, announcing that the pool is the next landmark slated for a full makeover as he works to erase what he calls the “filth and incompetence” left behind by Joe Biden. In a Truth Social video, Trump shared images of crews draining the pool and scraping away thick algae as a message flashed across the screen: “Make DC Beautiful Again.” The project follows his headline-grabbing overhaul of the White House East Wing, where he is adding a new ballroom.
National Mall and Memorial Parks teams are using a “Super Scrubber” to remove leaves, trash, and “stinky goose poop,” noting that refilling the vast pool will take several days and warning visitors not to walk in it.
The project comes amid an unprecedented building and restoration spree across the federal grounds. Since January, he has installed towering flagpoles on both White House lawns, replaced the Rose Garden grass with white stone, gilded the Oval Office and Cabinet Room, gutted and rebuilt the Lincoln Bedroom’s bathroom, re-marbled the Palm Room, and lined the West Wing Colonnade with a photographic “Presidential Walk of Fame.”