Trump’s Handpicked Company Screwed Up Reflecting Pool Reno From Start

The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed without evidence that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s peeling lining was the work of vandals. An independent analysis has concluded otherwise.

After reviewing photographs and satellite imagery, and speaking with experts, The Washington Post found that the extensive gashes in the pool liner were likely the result of improper application. The Thursday report noted that the tears appeared in at least seven places “along seams that were created when the material was applied in large rectangular sections.”

Noting that reporters were not able to access the center of the pool during a June 25 visit, the Post chronicled that the peeling occurred in irregularly shaped patches along the edges of the patchwork seams, with sloughing pieces ranging in size from several inches to as much as six feet. Some sections of the lining were so damaged that reporters were able to see the bare concrete underneath.

Rhino Linings, a popular truck-bed coating company that received the no-bid contract to do the job, has been named in several lawsuits since 2021 alleging that its liners were inadequate and resulted in hundreds of leaks.

Nonetheless, Donald Trump and his entourage have pinned the problem on supposed troublemakers dead set on destroying his $16 million renovation project (a cost that’s a far cry from his promised $1.8 million price tag for the endeavor). The White House has not provided any great evidence for the theory but has raised tensions around the Reflecting Pool, anyway. By late June, at least seven individuals were arrested for allegedly destroying the pool, including former Olympic canoe racer David Hearn.

The White House denied that any mistakes had been made during the renovation process.

“Unfortunately, deranged individuals made several gashes in the side of the pool and destroyed over 300 feet of the pool’s siding,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told the Post. “Once the necessary repairs to fix the vandalism are complete, the Reflecting Pool will be restored to all its glory.”

The company that had handled the memorial’s last renovation in 2010, the New Jersey–based Sika Corporation, was offered the chance to do this renovation before the job was offered to Rhino Linings. Speaking with CNN last month, two employees at Sika said the company had declined the offer due to Trump’s demands. Those included requirements that the pool be painted “American flag blue,” and that the restoration be completed by July 4. Both demands made the project “unfeasible,” according to the employees. ...