In An Attempt to “Drain the Swamp”, Donald Trump Creates One

There’s nothing quite like “American Flag Blue” reflecting green

By: Austin Abbring

June 16, 2026

Photo credit: Reuters

Following a brutal news cycle over the last couple of weeks, I figured I would present a more palatable story today. I am not by any means toning down the issues with the Lincoln Reflecting Pool project or the absurdity of the no-bid contract to paint the pool's base. However, this will serve as a bit of a breather compared to developments in the war in Iran and Mike Johnson’s radio appearance, in which he suggested Republicans' plans to cut fundamental social insurance programs should they retain control of the House.

Beginning in April of this year, Donald Trump set out to “beautify” the National Mall ahead of our country’s 250th birthday. This meant large-scale repairs to the Reflecting Pool, including fixing leaks and painting the pool's base “American Flag Blue” for greater reflectivity, all at a “low cost”. 

The Lincoln Reflective Pool has faced issues with algae growth for decades. The water rests at a low level, is stagnant, and basks in the hot sun and humid climate of Washington, D.C. Not to mention, darkening the pool's base only further heats the water, as darker colors absorb more sunlight, which acts as an incubator for algae growth. Sunlight is something D.C. does not lack - believe me. Apparently, President Trump slept through 9th-grade biology class, or at least the part about algae. 

Now, that is all on par. I was not expecting Donald Trump to pay attention to the massive scientific details such as that one. Science and minutiae are boring to him. Cue the Simpsons movie with President Schwarzenegger’s “I was elected to lead, not to read.” 

Other presidents have contracted repairs for the pool, as this is an ongoing issue and not my main concern. My concern is with the budget and who the pool renovations were contracted out to. The details are, dare I say, murky. The initial budget for this project, according to Trump, was $1.8 million. As of right now, the official cost for this project is estimated between $13.1-$14.2 million in taxpayer dollars, and climbing. Do not fret; it gets worse. Trump gave a no-bid government contract to “Atlantic Industrial Coatings”, a company he has used on personal pool projects at his golf courses. Quite literally, he “knows a guy” and gave him the contract. I wish I knew a guy I could miraculously give a 20% profit margin to and have the project be a complete failure. Oh wait, it gets even worse!

Following scrutiny of this ludicrous deal, Trump posted on Truth Social, “I didn’t give out the contract; Interior did, to a contractor I did not know, and have never used before.” I am not sure what is worse: obviously lying, or giving no-bid government contracts to complete strangers, allowing the project to go $12 million over budget with an unsavory result, and telling us “it’ll all be fine”. How stupid does Trump think we, and especially his supporters, are? I'd best not answer the latter half of that question. 

Overall, this is a microcosm that fully encapsulates the Trump era. Take something that is fully functional, or at least mostly functional, go way over budget making changes, blame someone else for any problems - past and present, remove himself from any responsibility, have a far less than desirable result, wipe his hands clean, and finally, go on to ruin something else. I cannot wait to see what that next something is.