this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2026
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Donald Trump positioned himself as a swimming pool expert as he touted the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovations he ordered this year, having put in “more than 100” over his career.

But after spending $14 million in taxpayer funds, the Reflecting Pool now looks arguably worse than it did before.

Aside from the bright green hue of the water — the product of what is reportedly one of the largest algae blooms in recent years — the “industrial-grade swimming pool topping” that Trump chose is already peeling off in sheets.

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[–] teyrnon@sh.itjust.works 20 points 17 hours ago

A no bid contract I would add.

If you put down new paint, you need to clean and dry the surface. Any real contractor would know that.

One is cdertain the contractor paid kickbacks to the administration for that contract, and that everyone is paying kickbacks for everything at this point. We have organized crime ruling the country.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 7 points 15 hours ago

An allegory for this entire administration.

A costly grift that paid someone a lot of money who is not an expert to do a shitty job, try to fix it the wrong way multiple times, while the whole thing falls apart and trump talks about how great a job was done.

Apply that to everything he does except manipulate stocks.

[–] bridgeburner@lemmy.world 44 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

This story gets more hilarious by the day lol

[–] benjirenji@slrpnk.net 1 points 15 hours ago

Perfect microcosm of this administration.

[–] Redvenom@retrolemmy.com 4 points 14 hours ago

I hope they kept the receipt, but I think pouring bleach into the pool void the warranty

[–] xonigo@lemmy.zip 14 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Drain the water and replace it with Blue Gatorade. I've seen a documentary in which this kills the plants..

[–] teyrnon@sh.itjust.works 9 points 17 hours ago

No it doesn't, the plants need electrolytes.

[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 59 points 1 day ago (4 children)

US not being able to tame a knee-deep pool is peak empire collapse indicator.

[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 15 points 22 hours ago

🤣 This is actually really funny... The orange shitbag bragged about all his amazing pools, that's when I knew there is zero chance he knows jack shit about pools

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 6 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

The country that developed atomic energy and manned spaceflight.

[–] j5906@feddit.org 9 points 15 hours ago

The country that had the first nuclear reactor connected to the grid was the USSR with Obninsk. The scientist first discovering nuclear fission were the chemists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann and physicists Lise Meitner and Otto Robert Frisch (all german and austrian).

The first manned spaceflight was Vostok 1 with Yuri Gagarin (USSR).

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[–] AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world 16 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Dang, guess they'll need another $14 mil paint job done lol

[–] TrippingBalls@lemmy.world 9 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

$25 mil.. Because he was initially trying to save tax payer money... And it's seriously an emergency now before the 4th of July... And everyone laughs at his stupidity

Whats the worst thing of the last month.. The reflecting pool or the Iran peace deal?

[–] CADmonkey@lemmy.world 2 points 16 hours ago

Probably the reflecting pool, because it exists.

[–] W3dd1e@lemmy.zip 48 points 1 day ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

This is my favorite Trump scandal.

It sucks we’re blowing through cash because we have an idiot for president, but I feel okay laughing at it because it doesn’t involve bombing a school in Iran, destroying immigrant families, tanking the economy, child sexual abuse, taking rights away from minorities, or stealing elections…to name a few.

Thank god he also wrecked a pond.

[–] D_C@sh.itjust.works 27 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Ok, ok, ok, people are giving the obese orange child rapist shit for this BUT let's think of it a bit differently...
Aren't we all now, in a way, 'reflecting' about how shitty the job was? And the obvious corruption of handing out all that cash to mate who is a pool guy? And about how it is 'reflective' of the "Draining of the Swamp" the mushy brained syphilis filled realty TV 'star' would get his horde of idiots to chant?

If we look at it this way then that pool is doing a lottttt of reflecting!!!

[–] teyrnon@sh.itjust.works 2 points 17 hours ago

Taxpayers are getting hosed by any measure. They can't water down this fuckup.

[–] Rcklsabndn@sh.itjust.works 12 points 22 hours ago

The rational solution here is to drain off the nasty green water, replace it with peroxide, then mount a toilet puck every five feet around the rim.

The water will be nice and blue like the water features at his favorite mini golf course, and it'll smell just like his office.

[–] Typhoon@lemmy.ca 134 points 1 day ago (1 children)

the Reflecting Pool now looks arguably worse than it did before.

Arguably? What a weasel word. It looks worse than it did before. There's no sane person who could argue that a massive algae bloom and paint peeling off the bottom don't make it look worse.

The Reflecting Pool now looks much much worse than it did before.

[–] svcg@lemmy.blahaj.zone 25 points 1 day ago (9 children)

There is beauty to be found in an algal bloom, just as there is beauty to be found in hyenas eating an antelope alive. /hj

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[–] Iusedtobeanalien@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Like his military parade

Like his concerts

Like his marriages

Like his administration

Half-arsed shit

[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 4 points 22 hours ago

Other than stealing tax dollars, grifting his base and destroying institutions, he's absolutely shit at everything else in life.

Pure anti-Christ shit

[–] Bristlecone@lemmy.world 7 points 22 hours ago
[–] garbagehead@lemmy.ca 1 points 15 hours ago

Sounds like a bad contractor.

[–] Starik@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Probably due to all the caustic chemicals they dumped in it to kill the algae.

[–] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Not unbelievable that these morons didn't select a chemically resistant coating, but it's more likely this is due to bad surface prep than the hydrogen peroxide - if it was the result of the peroxide we'd be seeing far more damage than the few chunks spotted thus far. Though, time will tell on that front...

[–] FatVegan@leminal.space 9 points 23 hours ago

The fact that it comes off in sheets is a really good indicator that it never really stuck to yhe surface. Can't wait until it all comes off and he takes credit because it looks better now.

[–] ceenote@lemmy.world 30 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] Ceruleum@lemmy.wtf 4 points 23 hours ago

With his tan suit and Dijon mustard!

[–] Typhoon@lemmy.ca 47 points 1 day ago (5 children)

Keep some of the paint that peels off. It'll be a good reminder of the stupidity of Trump and the American people for electing him. It's part of your history.

[–] MrVilliam@sh.itjust.works 50 points 1 day ago

And assuming you're a tax payer, you fucking paid for it so it's yours.

[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 3 points 20 hours ago

Sell pieces of those defective paint sheets just like trump sold little pieces of his suit. This would be a big sale deal for most just thinking individuals. Having a piece of history like that would be incredible! (~Shhh...don't tell trump though~).

[–] GuyFawkesV@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago

The next President should frame a piece and make it Trump’s official White House portrait.

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[–] auzy1@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

They're already saying it needs protection from democrats who want to damage it

So.. already setting up the scapegoat

[–] Astronut@lemmy.zip 33 points 1 day ago

Money well vandalized! Lord Feltersnatch and his buddies made buck!

[–] Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I bet if you got a film company who use mostly practical effects in to use the reflecting pool in their movie they would hire the right people to come in and deal with the algae and paint job and make it shine again. They would use their own money and trump would look even worse. Heck let me at it an di think i could work out what is needed with enough research and send him a bill.

I mean, i would definitely sub contract, but it would be to experts. Not idiots.

[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 6 points 21 hours ago

Got to be practical effects, because the green of the pool now is quite good for CGI

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This is probably for the best. Just scrape it up and let it be.

It acted like a natural pond. Water slowly filtered out through the granite and was replaced, filtering it, keeping it clean, but also letting it be still.

Which. Only still water reflects.

If you add a pool filter and circulation system (and that would be a massive, useless expense,) it won’t reflect like it was designed to do.

This is what happens when you vote for geriatric imbeciles more concerned with grifting a nation and fucking kids than working for Americans as president.

[–] Perky@fedia.io 31 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I heard a theory that Trump literally just doesn't know what a reflecting pool is. He thinks all pools are swimming pools, so he's turning it into a swimming pool. I have no proof for this but like... it fits.

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 6 points 23 hours ago

I mean... I'm pretty sure Trump was always a dumb fucker, but these day's he's probably so heavily dosed with shit he's got a longer drug test report than Musk and Kash combined.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

Well, he did bleat out that stupid AI image of him, some of his staff, and some woman, swimming in it as if it was a pool.

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