President Donald Trump’s newly-renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was showing signs of cracking and peeling again - just hours after he declared the troubled project a success.
asserted
project → renovate → signs
On Monday, Trump stood in front of the historic Washington, D.C., landmark to deliver a closing midterm election message and used the opportunity to celebrate the completion of a second round of renovations.
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Trump → stand → renovations
He called the work “a complete job and we’re very proud of it.”
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we → call → it
Shortly after his speech wrapped up, Washington Post reporters walking the perimeter of the reopened Reflecting Pool spotted several areas where the new coating appeared to be cracking or peeling.
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coating → wrap → areas
The reporters also noted at least 20 other spots where the coating’s color was noticeably uneven, with light blue streaks appearing across the surface instead of the dark “American flag blue” Trump selected for the renovation.
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Trump → note → renovation
“We fixed the leaks, we resurfaced the bottom in a beautiful dark blue,” Trump had said, adding that the pool had been finished with “the strongest coating you can get.”
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you → fix → coating
A Department of the Interior spokesperson defended the project, crediting Trump with restoring the landmark and dismissing concerns about its appearance.
“The Reflecting Pool has never looked this beautiful and it's all thanks to President Donald J. Trump,” a spokesperson told The Independent.
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spokesperson → defend → Independent
“He's an expert builder who was able to repair the pool in ways Obama and Biden could never even dream of.”
uncertain
Obama → repair → ways
The spokesperson blamed the light-blue discoloration on “surplus coating,” saying the “lighter blue color will fade away or be lightly scrubbed off to show the beautiful American Flag Blue coating underneath.”
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color → blame → coating
In a response to the Washington Post’s photos of the apparent cracks and peeling, the spokesperson said the damage was “stray pieces left over from the renovation and needed repairs due to deranged vandalism.”
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damage → say → vandalism
“Those pieces will be picked up.
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pieces → pick → ?
Thanks to President Trump, the pool is clear, clean, leak-proof, and reflects the iconic scenery that surrounds this magical place,” the spokesperson added.
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spokesperson → reflect → place
The National Park Service was reportedly aware of uneven coloring in areas that had already undergone a second round of repairs early last week, sources told the Post.
uncertain
sources → undergo → Post
The latest problems come after the Reflecting Pool’s initial renovation quickly deteriorated earlier this year.
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renovation → come → ?
Following the first round of repairs in the spring, the pool’s new lining began flaking shortly after it was refilled in June.
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it → follow → June
A Post investigation found that the pool’s lining deteriorated in at least 85 places, with an inspection report blaming the damage on renovation errors, including the use of improper materials and a rushed installation.
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report → find → materials
Coatings experts previously told the outlet that the materials used to line the pool require specific application techniques and drying times.
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materials → tell → techniques
Failure to follow those requirements can cause the coating to lose its adhesion.
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coating → follow → adhesion
The Trump administration initially blamed vandalism for the damage, leading to the arrest and prosecution of several people, including former Olympic athlete David Hearn.
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administration → blame → Hearn
However, the Justice Department dropped the case in July, saying the installation was “botched.”
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installation → drop → July
A judge ruled last month that federal prosecutors could not refile charges against Hearn.
uncertain
prosecutors → rule → Hearn
The pool was then drained and repaired again before being refilled and reopened in October.
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pool → drain → October
The Aporia
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