🏊‍♂️“Reflecting Pool” Edition

Donald Trump’s grand plan to renovate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has evolved from a bold vision into a shimmering case study in how not to run a government project.

At first, Trump proudly explained how he personally picked the contractor, calling up some guys he knew from the highly specialized field of…pool installation. It was a hands-on approach, very decisive, very “I know a guy.”

Now, as the price tag balloons to $13 million, lawsuits pile up, and the pool itself starts developing bubbles, holes, and a sort of avant-garde blotchy aesthetic, the story has undergone a miraculous transformation. Suddenly, Trump had nothing to do with it. Never met the contractor. Doesn’t know the guy. Might not even know what a pool is.

The administration insists the no-bid contract was justified as an “emergency,” because apparently a slightly imperfect reflecting pool posed an immediate threat to national security, right up there with hurricanes, foreign invasions, and White House ballrooms. When pressed, officials clarified that several fountains in D.C. also weren’t working, which really puts the “crisis” into perspective.

Meanwhile, the actual pool now reportedly looks less like a solemn national monument and more like a DIY home project that went wrong somewhere between YouTube tutorials.

In the end, the Reflecting Pool has achieved something remarkable: it perfectly reflects the project itself: murky, uneven, and increasingly difficult to look at without wincing.

Bill Bramhall - Tribune Content Agency

Nick Anderson - Tribune Content Agency and Substack

Lee Judge - King Features

Matt Wuerker - Andrews McMeel

Jimmy Margulies - King Features

Chris Britt - Creators

Steve Sack - cagle.com/sack

Jack Ohman - Substack and Tribune Content Agency

Drew Sheneman - Substack and Tribune Content Agency