Side-by-side photo reveals stark 'visual metaphor' for Trump’s DC damage

On Monday, a side-by-side photo comparison revealed the level of damage President Donald Trump has inflicted on the Capitol with his vanity and construction projects. The images, shared by reporter Jamie Dupree, show the view of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as seen from the Washington Monument.

“The '86 47' was painted over around June 14,” noted Dupree. This is a reference to the numbers shared on social media by former FBI Director James Comey, which Trump interpreted as a threat, and someone carved into the lawn beneath the Washington Monument in June. In the photo to the left, the lawn is lush and green. To the right, it’s a big, brown splotch. “Three months later, it looks like the feds have ripped up all the sod over towards the Washington Monument. Meanwhile, the Reflecting Pool is again empty.”

The Reflecting Pool debacle has haunted Trump for months now. It began when he hired a no-bid contractor who happened to also be a Mar-a-Lago neighbor and Republican donor to reline and paint the pool “American Flag blue.” When the pool liner began to come loose and float to the surface, however, the Trump administration launched a quixotic legal battle against alleged vandals, including former Olympian David Hearn, in a case that blew up in humiliating fashion when U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro was forced to admit the damage was due to botched workmanship. Trump continued to insist the damage was caused by vandals, but then last week, the contractor admitted that it was responsible for errors in liner application.

The Reflecting Pool and Washington Monument lawn are just two in a long list of casualties in Trump’s battle to impose his vanity projects on D.C. These have included his much-demanded White House ballroom, a 250-foot-tall triumphal arch, gold-coated horse statues, and more. Most Americans have been unimpressed by Trump’s flurry of projects, as evidenced by the response to Dupree’s photo comparison.

“Trump ordered the reflecting pool to be rushed and this is the result,” noted one commenter. “Trump has also ordered that stupid ballroom to be rushed. If it's flawed like the pool, it will have to be torn down for security reasons.” This was in reference to Trump’s shifting justification for the ballroom, which he initially said was necessary for hosting state functions before claiming it was for national security purposes after receiving a number of blows in court, though the Supreme Court ultimately gave him the ruling he needed to continue construction.

“President Trump genuinely loves creating visual metaphors for what he’s done to America,” came another reply.

“He’s destroying this city,” said another.