this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2026
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The Reflecting Pool on the National Mall has already begun to grow algae just days after President Donald Trump’s major renovation project was officially completed.

The landmark has been the subject of controversy since the project began, with critics pointing to budget ballooning from a little under $2 million to a staggering $14 million. Trump contracted Atlantic Industrial Coatings for the project to be completed ahead of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of America.

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[–] WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today 89 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Scammer surrounds himself with scammers, results predictable AF — news at 11.

[–] Screen_Shatter@lemmy.world 41 points 5 days ago (2 children)

On one hand its hilariously dumb. On the other hand, fuck dude we could have done anything better with that money.

[–] WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today 21 points 5 days ago (6 children)

Sadly, that's a mere drop in the ocean compared to all the money utterly wasted by this so-called "administration."

[–] Screen_Shatter@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I mean, I know that, but its not nothing either. Just because part of the world is on fire doesnt mean you let all of it burn

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[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 30 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

$14 million for this project is fucking absurd. 700%+ of the original (no bid) contract amount. The original contract was actually under $2 mil so it's more than 7x.

Everything is a goddamn grift.

Everyone involved in approving the change orders that brought this project to 7x+ it's original value, needs to be investigated for this.

[–] Wispy2891@lemmy.world 11 points 4 days ago (8 children)

Look at the ballroom, it was 150 Mil then 250 mil then 400 mil then meanwhile we were joking about the 800 mil ballroom it became a 1.6 billion national security project

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[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 11 points 4 days ago

This was a classic real estate developer kickback scheme. Trump hires his special guy to do the job. The guy does it for 50% of the budget, including his profit, and the rest is kicked back to Trump.

Of course, when it actually got into production, he jacked the overrun way up, so he could skim even more.

He was going to do the same thing with the Kennedy Center renovation, but they stopped that one. He'll do the same with his arch, and the ballroom.

The old classics still work, and this kind of classic, old school kickback scheme has been Trump's bread & butter for his entire life. That's why he's doing all these cockamamie construction projects. This is his wheelhouse, and he is in it.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 73 points 5 days ago (3 children)

$14 million to paint concrete.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

[–] BradleyUffner@lemmy.world 61 points 5 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (4 children)

~~Even worse. It was natural granite they painted over.~~
Sorry all, I was wrong. The bottom is concrete.

[–] cannedtuna@lemmy.world 14 points 5 days ago (9 children)

Wonder if a pressure washer can take it off

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I wonder if a sufficiently powerful pressure washer could rid us of Trump.

[–] cannedtuna@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

It’s worth a shot

[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 29 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Normally I'd say no. But with the shotty half assed work everyone in Trump's orbit does, it's almost certainly gonna start to peel on its own any day now

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[–] lemmyng@lemmy.world 21 points 5 days ago

Methinks it was a slush fund disguised as desecrating the reflecting pool.

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[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 5 points 3 days ago

Should have hired a pool guy.

[–] anon_8675309@lemmy.world 48 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (4 children)

Only reason he did this is because Obama did a restoration in 2012.

His entire presidency is to undo Obama.

[–] WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I wish Obama's entire presidency was to undo Bush, and Biden's entire presidency was to undo Trump.

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 11 points 4 days ago

You know what would have energized people? A huge program to reunite all the families that Trump separated.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 4 days ago

Was it a no-bid contract that ended up being 7x its original amount?

I'm gonna guess no. Because if it was, we would never hear the end of it.

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[–] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

What was that saying again...

'Rapists and grifters thrive when voters sit and do nothing..'?

Good going, america!

[–] neomachino@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I'm so glad I paid for this with my taxes. I was worried my money might go to something silly like feeding children.

Yeah, good thing my tax money is going for vanity projects and blatant embezzlement for people who wouldn't even notice and extra 500-million in their bank accounts instead of making the lives of 150,000 people slightly less shitty.

[–] turtlesareneat@piefed.ca 40 points 5 days ago

They remembered to install pool filters and chlorine and have a guy go scrub it every couple weeks, yeah? Regular pool maintenance, now that it's physically a swimming pool?

[–] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 30 points 5 days ago (2 children)

It's a pond, in a swamp, of course it's gonna have algae. smh.

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[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 10 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Yeah, that's what water does, grows algae. And that's what algae does when it gets in water, it grows.

Did we really have to pay millions for Trump to do a seventh grade science experiment?

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[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 16 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

So.. he literally created a new swamp where there wasn't one before. The worldwide news cycle will love this.

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[–] Etterra@discuss.online 13 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Sounds like they tried to save money on chlorine. Trump's the master of saving pennies by spending dollars.

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago

Reflecting pools are stupid AF. If given the choice I'd turn it into a natural pond with fucking frogs. Let nature fuckin rip. Trying to keep something that big free of any forms of life is a pointless effort.

[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

That certainly reflects Trump's character.

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 days ago

Stagnant and smelly?

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 14 points 4 days ago

This absolutely tracks with everything PEDOnald.

Only thing missing is some fake gold gewgaws and gimcracks somewhere in the vicinity.

But maybe dumbass is working on that, too.

[–] RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I don't understand, this is a common problem with pools. It's why we have chlorine and pool chemicals. Did he just paint it, and not treat it?

[–] Pacattack57@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Yes. They were most likely embezzling the funds and not actually doing anything.

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago

With trump the corruption is the point.

[–] ActualGrapesTasteGreen@piefed.zip 8 points 4 days ago (2 children)

As somebody who's never owned a pool or managed any small bodies of water, can somebody tell me what the implications of this is? What was keeping it algae-free before?

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[–] CuddlesMcBubblefun@lemmy.world 10 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Was algae growth not an issue before? I hate what the dipshits did to it, but I don't see how it would only now get gross. Did they scrap filtration and treatment equipment or something?

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 20 points 4 days ago

Part of having a dark bottom is that you cannot tell that the water is green. Birds poo in these things, filling them with nutrients that the algae gobble up.

[–] alternategait@lemmy.world 10 points 5 days ago

It was an issue before but that was also part of why he said it needed renovation.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 6 points 4 days ago

the layer on the surface ponds, pools filled with algae and other plankton is called scum, pretty fitting.

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