The “temporary” fence that President Donald Trump erected to hide his botched renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is starting to look less and less temporary.
Trump, 80, has repeatedly blamed vandals for the slimy green algae and peeling blue paint that have plagued one of Washington, D.C.,’s iconic landmarks since the president launched his hasty $14.7 million makeover.
The pool has been fenced off since last month, and on Monday, Trump announced on Truth Social that the monument was being drained to fix 300-yard “slashes” in the pool, though nobody seems to be able to locate the alleged vandalism.
The president’s post said the Reflecting Pool would be “refilled and put back into service soon,” but federal contracting documents suggest otherwise.
An official contract summary shows that the company hired to provide the fencing has been engaged until early next year, as first reported by The Independent.
National Construct Rentals Inc. was awarded $37,263 to provide fencing from July 8 through Jan. 8, 2027.
That would mean the work could stretch on for months, or that even after it’s done, the Reflecting Pool could still be closed to the public.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and the National Park Service for comment.
Craig Holman, a federal ethics and government affairs expert with the nonprofit watchdog Public Citizen, told The Independent that the fence was “wholly unnecessary and the result of Trump trying to cover up a costly mistake.”
“There are no dangers either to the Reflecting Pool or to sightseers curious about the flaking of the paint job,” he said.
Last week, black tarps were hung on the fence.
Before the renovation, Trump had bragged for months about repainting the massive pool on the National Mall his hand-selected shade of “American flag blue,” but less than 24 hours after the project was completed, the pool turned green with algae.
Soon after, the blue finish began flaking off and floating to the surface, even though the firm overseeing the renovation had been paid about $14 million—more than seven times Trump’s original estimate of $1.8 million.
The government had bypassed its usual competitive bidding process and awarded no-bid contracts—one of which went to a firm owned by a two-time felon—saying the work was urgent because it needed to be done in time for America’s 250th birthday celebrations on July 4.
Trump nevertheless blamed “SICK, DERANGED PEOPLE” for allegedly slashing the pool with blades and pouring “corrosive and destructive chemicals into the Pool,” without providing any evidence.
Even after the pool was drained, no gashes or signs of intentional damage were visible.
Over the past three and a half weeks, more than a dozen people have been arrested or criminally cited for reaching into the green water or touching the peeling pool sealant.
