Paint begins to peel off water mirror renovated by Trump for US$14 million; PHOTOS
Paint comes off the bottom of the water mirror of the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington D.C., in the United States, days after renovation ordered by President Donald Trump. Photo from June 18, 2026.
REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon
The paint on the water mirror of the Lincoln Memorial, the postcard of the capital of the United States, began to come off the bottom of the pool just days after the end of renovations at the site, ordered by the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
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The historic pool was emptied and renovated for the 250th celebrations years of US Independence. The work, carried out at the behest of Trump, had a contract worth US$ 14.7 million (around R$ 75.6 million) without bidding. The North American president's desire was to remove the greenish tone of the water mirror, caused by the proliferation of algae, and paint the bottom blue.
However, on Thursday (18), less than two weeks after Trump announced the completion of the work, visitors to the Lincoln Memorial began to notice that the paint in the reflecting pool was coming off the bottom and mixing with the water, which still had a greenish hue from algae. See the photo below.
Photo montage shows the water mirror of the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington D.C., in the United States, on June 12, 16 and 18, 2026, after renovations to the reflecting pool to paint it blue.
REUTERS/Eric Lee/Evan Vucci/Annabelle Gordon
The work on the Lincoln Memorial pool was also part of Trump's broad plans to remodel the capital of USA, Washington D.C.. The American president's plans also include the construction of the new ballroom where the East Wing of the White House was located and the construction of a large arch near Arlington National Cemetery, for example.
Trump announced on June 6 that work on the pool had been completed. By Tuesday, workers had already begun pouring hydrogen peroxide into the pool to combat an algae bloom that turned it green, instead of the expected dark blue.
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The National Park Service, which manages the National Mall, where the pool is located, had not officially commented on the incident until the last update of this report. Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the Virginia-based company that carried out the renovation, had not commented either.
Some visitors to the site expressed dissatisfaction with the result of the renovation. "I want my money back after seeing this. I think our resources could be used much better somewhere else. I think this reflecting pool was beautiful before, before all this attention," Robert Dale told Reuters news agency as he surveyed the scene.
Trump has faced criticism for speeding up planning processes aimed at preserving the carefully designed appearance of Washington in his reform program, criticism that his administration has dismissed as partisan attacks, while praising the industry entrepreneur's design prowess. real estate.
Paint comes off the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington D.C., in the United States, days after renovation ordered by President Donald Trump. Photo from June 18, 2026.
REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon
Paint comes off the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington D.C., in the United States, days after renovation ordered by President Donald Trump. Photo from June 18, 2026.
REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon
Source: G1