Trump says DC reflecting pool repairs may not be done in time for July 4
Donald Trump acknowledged that repairs to the algae-stricken reflecting pool in Washington DC may not be completed by the Fourth of July, when he plans a large celebration for the nation's 250th birthday.
US President Donald Trump has acknowledged that repairs to the algae-stricken reflecting pool in Washington DC may not be completed in time for the Fourth of July, when he plans to host a grand celebration on the National Mall marking the country's 250th birthday. The iconic pool began filling with algae blooms and peeling paint after the Trump administration ordered a $14.2m renovation to turn it "American flag" blue, prompting the president to claim – without providing evidence – that vandals with a knife had damaged it.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump reiterated the allegation while indicating the work may not be finished for the semiquincentennial. "We will drain some of the water, either immediately before or after the Fourth of July, to do the permanent repair," Trump said. He also claimed that six people have been arrested, and seven cited, "for the damage they did to our country's now beautiful Reflecting Pool".
Trump blamed the vandalism on a 350ft gash "made by a very sharp knife or razors" that created "numerous slashes over a very long 350 foot length". Such "slashes" have not been visible during visits by reporters in recent days. "It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night, to create such a condition," Trump wrote. "Likewise, the small area at the bottom of the pool was cut and powerfully lifted off the surface leaving very jagged, uneven edges." It is unclear how such extensive vandalism could have been carried out at the reflecting pool, which is overlooked by the Lincoln Memorial and often patrolled by police.
The Washington Post reported on Monday that over the weekend, a dead duck was found floating in the reflecting pool and two more carcasses were found in a pond about 250ft away at the Constitution Gardens. Ducks typically go back and forth between the two bodies of water, and the causes of the deaths were unknown. An animal rescue group retrieved the two carcasses from the Constitution Gardens and planned to perform necropsies.
The botched renovation comes amid a push by Trump to spruce up monuments across the capital in advance of the 250th anniversary celebration. The White House has announced plans for a speech by Trump on the National Mall as well as a fireworks display billed as the largest in history. Democrats have condemned the effort as wasteful and emblematic of an administration uninterested in addressing Americans' economic concerns. They linked it to Trump's parallel effort to build a ballroom on the demolished East Wing of the White House and his attempts to quietly shift taxpayer money to a project he insisted would be paid for by private donations.
