Trump says he'll resurface Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, turning it blue

Politics Trump says he'll resurface the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, turning it blue By Joe Walsh Joe Walsh Senior Editor, Politics Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston. Read Full Bio Joe Walsh April 23, 2026 / 5:51 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google President Trump's renovation kick has now reached the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.The president told reporters Thursday that his administration is planning to pour down a new surface onto the bottom of the pool, atop its stone flooring. The surface — made out of the "latest and greatest filament" — will be colored "American flag blue," he said.Built in the 1920s, the Reflecting Pool and its surroundings were comprehensively renovated in 2012, paid for by $34 million in Obama-era stimulus funding. The National Park Service has carried out some renovations since then, and the pool is also periodically drained to scrub out algae, garbage, goose droppings and other detritus.But during an Oval Office event on drug prices, Mr. Trump said he is disturbed by the "terrible" condition of the pool, a historic sight that featured heavily in Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 March on Washington and other major events at the Lincoln Memorial.He estimated that renovating the pool will take about a week and cost roughly $1.5 million. He said contractors have begun working on the stones, and started laying down its new "industrial-grade" surface on Thursday."You're going to end up with a beautiful, beautiful reflecting pool, the way it's supposed to be," he said, showing photos of the construction process. "Much better than it ever was, actually." President Trump holds an image of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool during an event on health care affordability in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Washington. Mark Schiefelbein / AP Mr. Trump told reporters he drew inspira...