Under Lincoln’s Gaze, the Water No Longer Reflects Us

"Neon lights, Nobel Prize

When a mirror speaks, the reflection lies."

- Living Colour, "Cult of Personality"

During his second term, Trump seems to have a strange variation of the Midas Touch: everything he touches turns to ruin. He promised to bring down inflation, yet his tariffs have helped drive prices higher. He declared that only he could bring peace to the Middle East, but the nation now finds itself entrenched in a war with Iran. And despite his vow that Ukraine's conflict would end within a day of his inauguration, the country continues to defend itself against Russian invaders.

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Improving the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool provided Trump with an opportunity to put a "W" on the board. The problems facing the national landmark have been longstanding, and permanent solutions have evaded many presidential administrations. All he had to do to claim victory was under-promise and over-deliver.

In what has become a common trait, Trump stepped in his own way. The president overstated the depth of the problem, claiming alternatively that the Reflecting Pool "never worked" or did not reopen after Obama renovated it in 2012. While Trump has always been more successful at branding than building, he claimed that only he had the expertise to make the necessary repairs. Initially, he stated the cost would be only about $1.8 million and that it would be completed within a couple of weeks. The material to be used was said to be so strong that "if you had a knife, you can't even cut it."

Equally desperate for a win, some members of the MAGA‑verse seized on the refurbished Reflecting Pool as proof that Trump had succeeded where all his predecessors had failed. As an example, one supporter posted undated side‑by‑side photos labeled "Biden" and "Trump," with algae clouding the former and crystal‑clear water in the latter.

The "Trump" photo didn't match reality. Press reports showed the pool was still being refilled at the time, meaning the image was either old, altered, or AI‑generated. When I pointed this out, the supporter refused to acknowledge the contradiction and changed the story, a familiar pattern in the Age of Trump. He posted a new photo showing the pool only half full, yet they insisted both posts were accurate.

If the water in the Reflecting Pool was truly "filthy" and "disgusting," doesn't he share in the blame? One of Trump's predecessors was Trump himself. He did have the four years between the Obama and Biden administrations to bring the pool up to his exacting standards.

When those facts did not cooperate, the conversation shifted again, this time to personal insults. It was a textbook example of how quickly some of Trump's supporters abandon observable reality in favor of whatever narrative they believe the president wants them to defend.

With misinformation taking on a life of its own, the truth was becoming just as clear: Trump's bravado was not enough to keep the algae at bay. To make matters worse, the coating applied was soon observed to be peeling from the bottom of the pool. The cost of the project, awarded under a no‑bid contract to a company owned by a longtime Trump donor, ballooned to more than $16 million.

Unable to accept personal blame for these failures, Trump alleged that far‑left domestic terrorists had caused the damage, in part by dumping fertilizer under cover of night. Despite previously bragging that the American‑flag‑blue liner could not be cut with a knife, he claimed that "deranged vandals" had used a knife or box cutter to cause further damage. Like a fisherman spinning tall tales, the size of this slice grew with each retelling. He eventually settled on the gash being over 300 yards, though no one can seem to find evidence of any gash at all, even after the water was once again drained from the basin.

When history looks back on these times, there will be far more serious actions on which to judge the Trump administration. In just his second term, protesters have been killed in the streets, American citizens have been deported, and a widening conflict in the Middle East is threatening not only American servicemen's lives but our country's financial future.

However, like the peeling liner at the bottom of the pool, this incident clearly reveals the flaws in our country's foundations. The American people could look at the pictures and see that Trump's project had not fixed the Reflecting Pool, yet the President looked us in the eyes and told us it was perfect. Worse yet, 30% of our fellow citizens seem willing to believe Trump over their own eyes. Is there any better indication of cult‑like behavior?

More than our national pride has been damaged in this latest episode of the reality‑show presidency. A former Olympian was forced to defend himself against felony charges after visiting the pool. The Justice Department accused him of being one of the alleged vandals; he said he only reached in to touch a piece of the liner that was already detached from the pool's bottom. No one in the administration presented proof of these alleged actions, even though cameras in the area could have confirmed or dispelled the accusations. The Justice Department was eventually forced to drop the charges and acknowledge that the damage was due to poor workmanship.

The episode stands as yet another example of a Justice Department that has lost its independence and is willing to sacrifice the rights of a citizen to validate Trump's political narrative.

Under the watchful gaze of Lincoln, the area has witnessed the best our country has to offer, including Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. But now our democracy has become as cloudy as the water in the Reflecting Pool. And I wonder whether we will recognize it when we have already crossed the point of no return.

"We are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until 'justice rolls down like waters.'"

- MLK, "I Have A Dream"

Carl Petersen is a former Green Party candidate for the LAUSD School Board and a longtime advocate for public education and special needs families. Now based in Washington State, he writes about politics, culture, and their intersections at TheDifrntDrmr.