Ahead of the United States celebrating the 250th anniversary of its independence from Great Britain, President Donald Trump has turned Washington, DC into a labyrinth of fenced-off areas amid his myriad construction projects, a new report highlights.
The president’s numerous attempts to renovate the nation’s capital have made many of the top attractions inaccessible to many. At the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial, soldiers now stand guard, The New York Times reported.
This came after Trump attempted to renovate the pool so that it would be blue, but it has since been plagued by an algae bloom. The president has blamed vandals for causing the pool to turn an almost neon green.
As a result, federal officials have essentially closed off access to the pool and it will likely stay closed ahead of the late-night fireworks planned this weekend for the Independence Day celebration.
The Trump administration has said that seven people have since been arrested and seven received federal citations related to supposed vandalism of the pool.
Trump has threatened 10-year prison sentences for supposed vandalism of the pool.
But an official with the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia said no records of arrests or citations had been produced by the administration or law enforcement related to the pool and vandalism.
“He likes the idea that he will walk out on the stage with a giant presidential wand and end decades of Middle Eastern warfare or prehistorical algae that defies modern chemicals,” Tim O’Brien, a biographer of Trump, told The Times. “When that doesn’t happen he goes into convoluted and damaging narratives.”
In June, former Olympian cyclist David Hearn was arrested for destruction of property for reaching into the pool to touch the lining that had peeled.
“No normal federal law enforcement authority of either party would have ever dreamed of charging an American for touching the Reflecting Pool,” Norman Eisen, Hearn’s lawyer, said.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers called Hearn a “deranged individual suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
“Thanks to President Trump, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is restored, crystal clear and reflecting beautifully ahead of America’s 250th birthday celebration,” she said.
Since then, numerous tourists have visited the pool, but do so with National Guard members watching them closely. This comes even as shards of the lining at the bottom of the pool remained visible underneath the surface of the pool.
But the pool is not the only area cordoned off. Lafayette Park, the park area across from the White House normally open to the public, is currently closed off after the Trump administration spent $17.4 million on a no-bid contract to renovate the park.
Despite the work being mostly done and fountains working again, two layers of fencing blocks off the park.
This also comes as Trump seeks to add a massive ballroom to the White House, even knocking down the East Wing of the White House to do so.
He also hopes to construct a 250-foot “victory arch.” A small scale mockup of the arch at the Great American State Fair was recently seen oozing out a yellow substance.
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