Donald Trump’s Reflecting Pool disaster has deepened, with the president admitting the iconic landmark will not be fixed before his much-hyped Independence Day celebrations.
Despite previously promising his taxpayer-funded refurbishment would be complete before the America 250 event, the president announced on Wednesday that the leaky pool will be likely be drained after July 4 to repair damage to the peeling liner.
“The Reflecting Pool is as beautiful as it can be,” he said in his post, before posting another set of images of the landmark.
“We will drain some of the water, either immediately before or after the Fourth of July, to do the permanent repair.”
The announcement is another setback for Trump, 80, who billed this year’s July 4 celebration as the centerpiece of America’s 250th birthday festivities.
But while he promised a patriotic spectacle designed to showcase the nation’s history, critics view it as a not-so-subtle attempt to showcase his own presidency.
The pool, which underwent a renovation costing more than $14 million and included the installation of a controversial “American Flag Blue” coating selected by Trump, was meant to be a central feature of the celebrations.
However, it has been plagued by algae blooms and sections of liner peeling away from the bottom just days after reopening.
Workers have spent days attempting to combat the algae using hydrogen peroxide treatments, ozone nanobubble technology and manual cleaning efforts.
And Trump is now blaming sabotage for the problems—insisting that vandals entered the pool, armed with a box cutter knife, and slashed it. He initially said the gash was about 250 feet, then expanded it to 300 feet, and finally to 350 feet.
The president also insisted that he has proof—but so far he is refusing to show it.
“Six people have been arrested, and seven people have been cited, for the damage they did to our Country’s now beautiful Reflecting Pool,” he wrote on Wednesday.
“The 350 foot gash, made by a very sharp knife or razors, is actually numerous slashes over a very long 350 foot length. It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night, to create such a condition.
Meanwhile, the administration has dramatically increased security around the site. National Guard members, U.S. Park Police, and additional surveillance equipment, including mobile cameras and enhanced lighting, have been deployed around the Reflecting Pool as officials continue to investigate alleged vandalism and prepare for the July 4 celebrations.
But the project remains controversial—and humiliating for Trump—partly because it was awarded as a no-bid contract to a Virginia-based company that had previously worked on a swimming pool at one of the president’s golf clubs.
Trump spent weeks bragging about the revamp, even insisting at one point that “If you had a knife, you can’t even cut it.” Now he is adamant that is exactly what happened.
Critics, however, aren’t buying it. “Nobody is vandalizing the Reflecting Pool, and Trump knows it,” author Stephen King wrote on X.
“This is a visible example of his corruption—a no-bid contract to some crony followed by sky-high cost overruns, and shoddy construction to boot. Classic Trump: I didn’t f--k up, it was my enemies.”
