Interior Secretary Burgum defends Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool restoration as success despite draining weeks later

Interior Secretary Calls Restoration a "Big Success" Despite Ongoing Issues

The Trump administration is facing scrutiny over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation, with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum insisting the project has been a success even as the pool is set to be drained again within weeks of being declared complete.

In an interview with ABC News Sunday, Burgum defended the multimillion-dollar restoration, stating: "And so when we look in context, President Trump set out to make D.C. safe and beautiful. He's done that."

Burgum noted that the Reflecting Pool was part of the original Lincoln Memorial design and had been leaking 45,000 gallons per day. He cited previous efforts to fix the leaks, including the Obama administration's two-year, $34 million project between 2010 and 2012.

According to Burgum, technological advancements — including "nanobubblers" to eliminate algae and an industrial liner to stop leaks — have resolved the pool's longstanding problems.

Claims Contradicted by Evidence

However, those claims appear to be inaccurate. Within days of refilling the pool, algae had returned despite the Trump administration spending $14.7 million to eradicate it. The painted liner at the bottom had also begun to slough off.

"So the Reflecting Pool has been a big success. And we've got 340 million people in this country that are celebrating 250. We did have a few vandals, but all that's going to be repairable, and that'll all be fixed in the coming weeks as we go forward," Burgum said.

When ABC host George Stephanopoulos noted the pool would be drained this week, Burgum responded: "We don't know if we need to drain the whole thing or not because, you know, the cutting happened on the edge. And of course, again, when you're talking about 340,000 square feet of surface, even though there was, you know, damage done by vandals that was there, it is a small, small — 99.99 percent of the pool bottom is perfect."

Cost Overruns

President Donald Trump originally promised the project would cost $1.8 million. The total is now expected to far exceed $15 million.

Vandalism Claims Questioned

In a separate interview with CNN, Burgum again insisted — without evidence — that portions of the broken liner were caused by vandalism, echoing Trump's explanation.

"It didn't peel off. There was vandalism. There were box cutters. There have been seven arrests. There were people literally trying to destroy part of a monument, the Reflecting Pool," Burgum told the network.

CNN host Dana Bash pressed Burgum on the claim, noting that the president initially announced a 250-foot gash, which escalated to 300 feet the following day, and then 350 feet the day after that.

"Dana, I'm not sure why you and others in the media think that you want to keep trying to question whether or not — think, this is an industrial liner," Burgum responded. "Every farmer and rancher in America that's had their pickup liner lined by this sprayed-on liner knows that you literally — literally, it would never just like peel off or fall off. This is, like, a strong material. The only way you can end up with actual slices in one spot and not the other is that someone physically cut it."

Stage Collapse at Freedom 250 Celebration

The stage for Freedom 250's July Fourth celebration fell apart during rehearsals Thursday, with a large component of the structure's ceiling falling roughly two stories down and landing behind a group of dancers and musicians. No injuries were reported.

Online commenters criticized the construction:

• "That's what happens when you don't consider merit in hiring," wrote one X user.
• "This is why you never let Trump select the subcontractor based on percentage of kickback," commented another.

Even a lawmaker joined in the criticism.

Related: Pirro Reveals Reflecting Pool Indictment of U.S. Olympian Is a Sham