by ALEXX ALTMAN-DEVILBISS | The National News Desk
Fri, May 8, 2026 at 7:51 AM
Updated Fri, May 8, 2026 at 7:53 AM
President Trump’s motorcade drives through the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool (White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino)
WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump visited the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Thursday to check on renovations ahead of America’s 250th birthday celebration.
Photos showed Trump shaking hands with workers on the project and speaking with reporters. The White House highlighted the visit on X, writing that he “thanked the hardworking men restoring the Reflecting Pool and making Washington, D.C., beautiful again.”
His motorcade also passed through the unfinished site as upgrades continue.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung shared a video of the visit, capturing surprised reactions from onlookers. “They see me rolling!” Cheung wrote. “President Trump rides in the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial!”
Last month, Trump shared photos of the renovation, describing it as being in “the final phase.” The images showed workers painting the reflecting pool blue.
He said the project, initially estimated to cost more than $300 million and take three years, would instead cost about $2 million with the help of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and his department.
The iconic landmark, built in 1922, has been “decaying” and plagued by leaks, according to Trump.
“We’re going to have the most beautiful reflecting pool,” he said previously.
“Right now, it’s got no water in it because it was in terrible shape,” he added in a video shared on Truth Social. “It was filthy dirty and it leaked like a sieve for many years.”
Trump said it will be finished ahead of the Fourth of July, when the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence. He added that the revamps should last up to 40 to 50 years.
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