432
submitted 3 days ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

Donald Trump used a government exemption to give a $6.9 million no-bid contract to his “pool guy” to repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to an ocean-blue color after complaining it “never looked great.”

The exemption is typically reserved for urgent situations to prevent “serious injury, financial or other, to the government”, according to documents reviewed in an exclusive report by The New York Times.

But Trump used the exemption to get the company, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, to quickly begin work on the memorial as part of an array of building projects and refurbishments taking place across Washington D.C. ahead of America’s 250th birthday this year.

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[-] elucubra@sopuli.xyz 11 points 2 days ago

How does painting a pond that size cost 7 million?

[-] ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one 5 points 2 days ago

It’s a grift.

[-] prole 4 points 1 day ago

Properly emptying and refilling it would probably cost a good amount.

Labor isn't cheap, and government contracts (hopefully) use prevailing wage, which is pretty high.

A proper contractor would clean it first, and then add several coats of a what is probably supposed to be a special type of paint. That's pretty expensive.

In this case however, it's a grift, so it won't actually cost them nearly that much because that's the point.

[-] DokPsy@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Didn't the last evaluation of maintenance come in at 300k? Which included everything except the paint because it's not meant to be that kind of pool

[-] prole 1 points 1 day ago

I don't know, I'm not following the grift that closely

[-] JailElonMusk@sopuli.xyz 138 points 3 days ago

Is there a more apt metaphor for the Trump administration than this?

In a time of unparalleled uncertainty, war in the Middle East, rising energy prices and inflation, pedophile billionaires in the highest positions of government, rising unemployment and a backsliding of minority rights.

What is the Trump administration spending our tax dollars on to help Americans?

Painting the fucking reflection pool blue.

[-] rhubarb@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago

He is painting it to remove the ability to reflect. Absolutely no more apt a metaphor.

[-] AlternatePersonMan@lemmy.world 54 points 3 days ago

Surprised he didn't paint it orange with gold accents.

[-] ptychodus@lemmy.world 18 points 3 days ago

Narcissus Orange

[-] Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com 33 points 3 days ago

I don't know about everyone else but definitely know having a national monument painted that tacky default pool bottom blue really helps me sleep better at night.

[-] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 21 points 3 days ago

Who needs to do any reflecting in this day and age anyway?

[-] RedWeasel@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

What, you don't like a giant wading pool?

[-] tal@lemmy.today 59 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

“As a developer, I've probably built more than 100 swimming pools, different buildings. I built, and I have some really good pool builders ... but over the years, I've had three or four really good ones,” he said.

Trump went on about how a “friend” from Germany had similarly knocked the landmark’s condition as “filthy, disgusting,”

I mean, it's not a swimming pool. Like, it doesn't need to be free of algae and it's not full of disinfecting chlorine.

Like, you wouldn't point at a lake and say "eww, gross, it's full of living things and dirt".

EDIT: Okay, upon further reading, maybe he does think that it's intended for swimming or wants it to be used for that.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2026/05/04/donald-trump-reflecting-pool/89926382007/

President Donald Trump posted an apparently artificially generated image of himself with members of his Cabinet swimming in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Late on May 1, Trump posted a fake image of himself, shirtless, giving a thumbs up as he lounges in the pool with other Cabinet members in their swimsuits.

[-] prole 2 points 1 day ago

Also, as if "more than 100" swimming pools is supposed to be a lot when you're talking about a project of this scale and purported significance.

[-] lemmyng@lemmy.world 36 points 3 days ago

Of course he does. He's that stupid.

[-] LogicalDrivel@sopuli.xyz 14 points 3 days ago

wouldn't be called a 'pool' if it wasn't fer swimming. /s

[-] SoupBrick@pawb.social 8 points 3 days ago

You know for a fact, somebody is going to shit in it.

[-] CobraCommander@quokk.au 5 points 3 days ago

Trumps hoping people piss in it so he can go for a splash.

[-] NutWrench@lemmy.ml 40 points 3 days ago

Pool Guy probably thinks he's going to get paid.

[-] meco03211@lemmy.world 41 points 3 days ago

Not trump's money so he might. That's our money as taxpayers.

[-] halcyoncmdr@piefed.social 7 points 3 days ago

100% chance he took this as an opportunity to actually get the money Trump hasn't paid him previously. And I can't really fault him much for that honestly.

Someone was going to get paid for this stupid shit, might as well be someone who's been fucked over in the past to try and make them whole.

[-] RattlerSix@lemmy.world 26 points 3 days ago
[-] BucketBong@p.hobo.social 26 points 3 days ago

I fully believe he thinks its a swimming pool.

I thought it was a joke. I read the article, this fucker is giving a pool service company the job. This is genius or sheer ludicrosity. I made that word up.

[-] prole 1 points 1 day ago

How could this possibly be considered genius?

[-] TrippingBalls@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

It's about the kickback... Why are you surprised?

[-] LavaPlanet@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago

Apparently theres more to the type of blue, they used, too.

[-] Danarchy@lemmy.nz 7 points 3 days ago

It’s to clean out all the dead kids

[-] tgirlschierke 7 points 3 days ago

someone has an opportunity to do something really funny

this post was submitted on 09 May 2026
432 points (100.0% liked)

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