The administration has insisted that the problems plaguing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool were addressed after months of scrutiny.
However, a newly circulating video is fueling renewed skepticism and prompting questions about whether the repairs were truly finished.
The footage, initially shared by DC City Girl via her Instagram Stories, was captured as she walked along the National Mall.
The close-up clip shows a maintenance worker tightening the pool’s blue liner with a tool, while long stretches of the material continue to billow dramatically in the wind — the very issue officials had said had been resolved as part of the multimillion-dollar restoration.
Videos quickly spread across social media as users reposted it across multiple platforms.
The clip has reignited debate over the more than $14 million renovation, with critics wondering whether the project was truly finished or if the highly visible liner issues are still far from resolved.
Lawyer and political commentator Aaron Rupar reposted the footage: “For those tracking, the reflecting pool is flapping in the wind today.”
For those tracking, the reflecting pool is flapping in the wind today.
Video from @dccitygirl_ pic.twitter.com/xj5TVhxxFX— Aaron Parnas (@AaronParnas) July 24, 2026
X users took their cues and followed up with jokes.
One commenter wrote, “Oh no!” with a big laughing emoji. Another quipped, “Looks like the pool finally got a breeze upgrade, turning the Mall into a low key water park. Nice ripple effect!”
Another user reposted the video and noted that the device in his hand resembled a staple gun.
“Now the weird thing is it almost look like he’s stapling except the device in his hand looked like a drill.”
“Isn’t the pool made of granite? No way anyone’s drilling granite quickly.”
“Drilling into Granite or even stapling into it isn’t going to be that easy, possible glue gun.”
🤣🤣🤣
— I’m Not That Short (@SheBleedsHipHop) July 25, 2026
According to The Independent, photos that emerged from the site show only part of the picture.
Images depict the drained pool basin, FBI teams collecting evidence, and Park Police and National Guard troops patrolling the perimeter as tourists gather to gawk.
Nearby, a message reading “86 47” remains etched into the grass, a jab widely interpreted as anti-administration in nature.
Missing from any released photos, however, is the 350-foot gash officials claim vandals carved into the lining. That absence has fueled skepticism about the administration’s account of what actually happened.
The pool’s troubles began almost immediately after the president declared he was going to renovate the national monument. Once its June 5 reopening arrived, all of the whole nation saw what a mess that decision was made.
Algae turned the water green, and sections of the newly applied “American flag blue” coating started peeling and floating on the surface. Officials had promised the renovation would take about two weeks. Instead, it has stretched for months and ballooned to more than eight times the original estimated price tag.
Marine One circled the pool before the president confirmed he had personally inspected the site.
“Work will begin immediately on fixing the seriously vandalized Reflecting Pool,” he posted on Truth Social. “I just inspected it, and could only say to myself, and those gathered around me, WOW, who would do such a thing? SICK, DERANGED PEOPLE! We will fix it.”
Several people have since been arrested or cited, including 67-year-old former Olympic canoeist David Hearn.
He says he only touched a loose strip of lining before being detained for five hours by National Guard troops and Park Police. Democratic lawmakers have accused the administration of using arrests as a cover for shoddy construction work.
At a July 21 shadow hearing, California Rep. Robert Garcia said officials are “trying to put an innocent man in jail to cover up their shoddy work, with contracts going to Donald Trump’s friends and donors.”
Public opinion hasn’t been kind either.
A new Washington Post/Ipsos poll found that 65 percent of Americans view the Washington renovation projects negatively, including efforts to update the pool, replace the White House’s demolished East Wing with an outsized ballroom, and construct a massive replica of Paris’s Arc de Triomphe. Some 38 percent of respondents said they were specifically “upset” by the efforts, while just 12 percent described themselves as “enthusiastic” about the changes.
Whether the latest repairs finally resolve the pool’s ongoing issues remains to be seen. For now, the flapping liner has turned a national monument into a national punchline once again.
