Trump Announces Reflecting Pool Reopening Before Midterms

President Donald Trump announced the reopening of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on November 2, as he used an appearance at the site to make his final major pitch before the midterm elections. He said repairs included replacing pipes, fixing leaks and resurfacing the pool, which had been closed after problems with earlier restoration work. Trump described the work as part of a broader effort to improve Washington and displayed photographs of the pool during his remarks. He said workers had repaired joints and surrounding granite and applied a protective coating. The pool had temporarily opened for celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence before closing again for additional repairs, Trump said. The president attributed damage to the pool lining to vandals and said cameras had been installed. That account is disputed. The contractor’s account and government court submissions attributed the damage to defects in the repair work, rather than vandalism. The supplied reporting does not establish the cause independently, and Trump’s announcement alone does not confirm whether the site was accessible to visitors after the event. Trump briefly joked that...