This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.
Welcome to The Logoff: President Donald Trump’s Reflecting Pool mess is only getting worse.
What’s happening? By now, you’ve probably heard: The recently renovated and refinished Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, ostensibly painted “American Flag Blue,” is green.
The reasons why, it turns out, are fairly simple: “American Flag Blue” is a much darker shade than the pool’s original gray color (you can get a sense of the difference here), making for warmer water. It’s quite warm in Washington, DC, in June to begin with, and the combination means algae has been growing like crazy.
Sections of the pool’s new, blue liner have also been lifting free from the bottom, while the Trump administration has been trying to tamp down the algal green by pouring hydrogen peroxide into the pool.
The reason we’re writing about it now, though, is not because the renovation has been a remarkably comprehensive disaster, or because it was rife with suspect no-bid contracts, or even because of the administration’s remarkable mendacity. Instead, it’s Trump’s reaction to his project going to shambles.
So what did he say? Over the last few days, Trump has been on a social media tear, accusing people of vandalizing the pool, alleging a several-hundred-foot “gash” in the new liner and “corrosive and destructive chemicals” poured into the pool.
There is — and I cannot emphasize this part enough — absolutely no public evidence that the Reflecting Pool has actually been vandalized, unless you count Trump’s original renovation job. But since Friday, there have been at least five arrests for alleged “vandalism” of the pool, including a former US Olympian who says he only touched a detached piece of the pool liner, and an equal number of citations. Trump has threatened 10-year prison sentences for the alleged “vandals.”
And with that, it’s time to log off…
Want more close friends? My colleague Kyndall Cunningham has just the article for you (and it’s a gift link).
Plus, from the World Cup: Lionel Messi broke two records today, claiming sole possession of first the men’s record for World Cup goals (Miroslav Klose, 16) and then the overall record (Marta, 17). Here’s his incredible 18th goal.
Have a great evening, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!
