On Tuesday, President Trump told reporters that the second round of renovations for the Reflecting Pool — necessary after the pool’s new “American flag blue” coating peeled because of what the Justice Department deemed a “rushed and botched installation” — are “totally complete.”
“I think they’re going to fill it up this week. The Reflecting Pool is totally complete, and we changed the old pipes,” the president told reporters. “We wanted to get open for July Fourth, and now we went and got rid of all of the old pipes, which we were going to do later during the winter. We did it, and I think it’s almost complete. … I’m going to visit.”
As of Wednesday morning, though, work was ongoing. Workers could be seen spraying material on two sections of the pool’s interior. Grates for the pool’s center drain were not yet in place. It was not immediately clear whether pipes had been changed.
On Monday, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the contractor that was awarded a no-bid contract for the pool’s renovation, posted on its website: “All warranty repairs were completed Friday, 10/2/2026! It has been an honor to serve our great nation!”
Asked about the timeline for the pool to reopen, the Interior Department referred The Washington Post back to the president’s remarks.
In the spring, Trump had announced the pool’s renovation in anticipation of America 250 festivities on the National Mall. But problems quickly appeared: First, a massive algae bloom, and then the flaking coating. The administration initially blamed the pool’s problems on vandals, and several people, including former Olympian David Hearn, were arrested and charged with felonies and misdemeanors.
The cases were dropped after the Justice Department suggested in July that damage was caused by a “botched” installation, and on Oct. 1, a judge said federal prosecutors cannot refile charges against Hearn.
On his remarks on Tuesday, the president again cited vandalism as a cause of the Reflecting Pool’s problems.
“We had vandalism there, and we have it about as vandal-proof as you can get,” Trump told reporters. “But only sick people do that, and we have their pictures.”
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