Trump targets ‘Biden filth’ in DC renovation announcement

Blames "Biden Filth" for Landmark’s Condition

On November 26, 2025, President Trump posted a video on Truth Social showing workers around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

He announced that he and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum would “fix” the 102-year-old landmark, calling its current state “Biden filth and incompetence.”

The Interior Department confirmed work is underway but offered no details. This isn’t the first time the pool has needed saving.

It was built on swampland, leaked for decades, cost $34 million to rebuild in 2012, and still grew algae weeks after reopening.

But this pool has also been the backdrop for some of the most important moments in American history, and what happens to it next is part of a much larger story playing out across Washington.

The Pool Was Trouble From Day One

Henry Bacon designed the Reflecting Pool in 1922, right after the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated.

Workers finished it in January 1923. The pool stretches 2,029 feet long and 167 feet wide, holding about 6.75 million gallons of water.

It sits between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, creating one of the most photographed views in America.

But Bacon built it on marshland along the Potomac River, and the problems started almost immediately. The original dirt-and-concrete basin cracked and leaked.

A $34 Million Rebuild Tried to Save It

In November 2010, the National Park Service shut down the Reflecting Pool for a complete reconstruction.

Workers sank 2,113 wooden pilings 40 feet down through marshy clay to reach bedrock. Paved walking paths replaced the worn grass on both sides.

They installed a new circulation system that draws water from the nearby Tidal Basin instead of using city drinking water.

The project cost $34 million, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. When the pool reopened on August 31, 2012, officials expected a short break-in period.

They got something worse.

Algae Took Over Within Weeks

Less than a month after the grand reopening, visitors described the water as looking like split pea soup.

Green algae covered the bottom and clumped together at the eastern end near the World War II Memorial.

The National Park Service had installed an ozone disinfectant system during the renovation, but nobody anticipated this much growth.

Officials drained the pool at a cost of $100,000 and doubled the ozone treatment. It helped, but algae remained a recurring problem, especially in summer months.

Parasites Killed More Than 80 Ducks

In June 2017, the Park Service drained the pool again after a different kind of outbreak. A parasite that causes swimmer’s itch had infected snails living in the water.

The same parasite killed more than 80 ducks and ducklings in just over a month. Workers scrubbed the basin and refilled it over 10 days.

The pool is only 18 inches deep at the edges and 30 inches in the center, which makes it hard to maintain stable temperatures and water quality.

Swimming has always been prohibited, though the shallow depth wouldn’t allow for it anyway.

Trump’s D.C. Cleanup Started in March

The Reflecting Pool announcement is part of President Trump’s broader campaign to transform Washington.

In March 2025, he signed an executive order titled “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful,” directing the National Park Service to clear homeless encampments and remove graffiti from federal land.

The order also called for a coordinated beautification plan for monuments and parks across the city.

Trump has repeatedly described Washington as dirty and dangerous, though overall crime numbers were already falling before his intervention.

National Guard Troops Arrived in August

On August 11, 2025, Trump deployed National Guard troops to Washington after declaring a crime emergency.

Within weeks, more than 2,000 soldiers from eight states and the District were patrolling the city. Some carried weapons at Metro stations and near landmarks.

Others spread mulch around the Tidal Basin cherry trees, picked up trash near the Washington Monument, and cleared plant waste from East Potomac Park.

By early October, the troops had filled 1,150 bags of trash, spread over 1,000 cubic yards of mulch, and pruned 400 trees.

Homeless Camps Near the Memorial Were Cleared

In mid-August, crews moved into a grassy area near the Lincoln Memorial and dismantled one of the small homeless encampments that had formed there.

The White House said 50 encampments across Washington were cleared in the following weeks. Advocates for the homeless criticized the sweeps, saying people simply moved to less visible locations.

David Beatty, who had been living near the Lincoln Memorial, lost his tent but remained homeless and sleeping outside as of fall 2025.

Marian Anderson Sang Here in 1939

The Reflecting Pool has witnessed moments that shaped American history.

On April 9, 1939, contralto Marian Anderson stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and sang to 75,000 people after the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to let her perform at Constitution Hall because she was Black.

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the DAR in protest and helped arrange the outdoor concert.

Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes introduced Anderson, telling the integrated crowd that “genius, like justice, is blind.” Millions more listened on the radio.

250,000 Gathered for the March on Washington

On August 28, 1963, the largest demonstration the capital had ever seen filled the National Mall.

More than 250,000 people stood along the Reflecting Pool and listened to Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his “I Have a Dream” speech from the Lincoln Memorial steps. Photographs from that day show demonstrators cooling their feet in the water.

The march helped pressure Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Marian Anderson returned to perform at the event, 24 years after her historic concert at the same spot.

8.5 Million People Visit Every Year

The Lincoln Memorial remains one of the most visited sites in Washington. Nearly 8.5 million people came in 2024, according to the National Park Service.

The Reflecting Pool is essential to the experience, creating the mirror effect that doubles the Washington Monument in still water and frames the Memorial’s columns.

On clear days, visitors can see both landmarks reflected together.

The pool has appeared in countless photographs and films, including the famous scene in Forrest Gump where crowds wade into the water.

The Pool Will Outlast Its Problems

Whatever work the Trump administration does on the Reflecting Pool, the landmark will continue doing what it was designed for: reflecting.

It has survived a century of leaks, algae blooms, parasites, and reconstructions.

It has hosted protests, celebrations, and quiet moments of contemplation. The engineering may be complicated, but the purpose is simple.

You stand at one end and see the monuments doubled in the water. You stand where Marian Anderson sang and where 250,000 people demanded justice.

The pool remembers even when the water is drained.

Visiting Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Washington D.C.

The Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and admission is free.

The site is located at 2 Lincoln Memorial Circle NW on the National Mall. Rangers staff the memorial from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

daily. The nearest Metro stations are Foggy Bottom-GWU on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines, about a 20-minute walk away.

Parking is extremely limited, so public transportation is recommended.

The walk around the entire pool is just under a mile. Early morning and evening visits offer the best light for photographs and smaller crowds.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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