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Donald Trump’s $14.7 million Reflecting Pool makeover faces scrutiny after an inspection found numerous failures. The findings also cast doubt on the work’s execution and raise questions about the administration’s initial account of what went wrong.
Inspection points to possible coating errors rather than vandalism, claims report
The inspection uncovered widespread defects in the pool’s freshly applied surface. The Washington Post published a 75-page report that recorded 85 failures and 88 separate instances of damage, including buckling at eight expansion joints, close to 40 blisters and peeling in nearly two dozen spots. Investigators also documented 12 cuts that penetrated the coating and exposed the underlying concrete.
Photos posted in June showed crews applying the finish on June 3, with the pool refilled the following day. That left little time for the materials to set. The coating needed 72 hours to cure, while the caulking around the edges required five to seven days of drying before it could be submerged. Investigators did not establish who directed workers to refill the pool ahead of schedule (via The Daily Beast).
A $14.7 million contract awarded without competitive bidding to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings set the pool renovation in motion in late April. Trump had pitched the project as a fix for the pool’s recurring algae issues, calling for an “American Flag Blue” surface using designated primer and coating materials. But the results quickly deteriorated as, within days of the pool reopening in June, algae had turned the water green and blue flakes were appearing on the surface.
The administration initially pointed to suspected vandalism to explain the damage. Trump later posted on Truth Social that authorities had arrested individuals allegedly responsible, describing a 250-foot gash and claiming corrosive substances had been poured into the pool. Prosecutors subsequently brought charges against four people, including former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, over alleged damage to the new lining. However, in a court filing seeking dismissal, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the government would not have pursued an indictment had it known that mistakes by the contractor caused the damage.
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