Blue paint, great indignation A new dispute about Trump rages among tourists in Washington

US President Trump is pressing ahead with his plans to rebuild Washington. His administration is currently triggering fierce criticism with the blue painting of a historic water basin.

Keystone-SDA

16.05.2026, 20:09

SDA

"The city will bear the scars of this madman for a long time to come": On the huge National Mall in the heart of Washington, Sammy has strong words for US President Donald Trump's plans to have the water basin at this symbolic location repainted.

The Republican billionaire "interferes everywhere", scolds the young woman from the neighboring state of Virginia, who did not want to give her last name. "He's so narcissistic."

On the 250th anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence on July 4, Trump ordered the basin built in the early 1920s between the Washington Monument obelisk and the famous Lincoln Memorial statue to be painted in "American flag blue".

The work, which has already begun, has turned the symbol of national unity into a new point of contention. While critics of the president denounce corruption and megalomania, his supporters praise a head of state who is "restoring order" in the United States.

Arc de Triomphe planned

The former real estate entrepreneur seems obsessed with the project, which is part of a series of controversial renovations in the US capital. Since his return to office a year ago, he has had an entire wing of the White House demolished in order to build a ballroom there.

His administration also presented plans for a monumental "Triumphal Arch of the United States". This is to be more than 76 meters high - taller than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Trump, who personally visited the construction site last week, explained that the renovation of the basin was long overdue. "It was dirty, disgusting and has been leaking everywhere for years," he said in a White House video.

His supporters rely on his experience as a builder - an image he purposefully cultivates to back up his claim to reshape both public buildings and the US economy and politics.

"He knows what he is doing"

"He knows what he's doing with all the buildings he's built," says Elizabeth Miller from Pennsylvania during her visit to the Lincoln Memorial. "He's making America proud by restoring order."

Trump explained that he had rejected an originally planned $300 million remodel over three years and instead hired a pool builder he knew - at a cost of just $1.8 million.

"If it's cheaper, faster and just as efficient, why waste taxpayer money?" asks Russ, a tourist from Arizona who only wanted to give his first name.

According to the New York Times, however, the costs have already amounted to 13 million dollars. In addition, the government had awarded the contract without a tender, citing the urgency of completing the work by July 4.

In response to these reports, Trump stated that he did not know the contractor - apparently contradicting earlier statements.

"Dictatorial approach"

This worries Margaret Herro from Wisconsin. "I thought there was a process for restoring national monuments, and I don't get the impression that he followed it," she says. "It seems a little bit like a dictatorial approach."

An organization for the protection of cultural landscapes filed a lawsuit to stop the project, which it described as a "desecration". Nevertheless, work continued.

In addition to the political and symbolic controversies, there are also doubts as to whether the project can actually repair the basin. "It's not the right solution," says Obe, an engineer from Maryland, who also only wanted to give his first name. "They should have fixed the drainage instead of just painting it blue to make it look brighter."

Among the tourists at the Lincoln Memorial, Gregory Scott from Atlanta finally sums up the question on the minds of many: "What will he do next?"

Video from the department