Just the other day, I remarked to my PJ Media colleagues that I hadn't noticed a story about the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in a while, which could only mean one thing: The pool looks fantastic, and the press had moved on to fresh outrages.
I spoke too soon.
The legacy media spent the holiday weekend hoping the Fourth of July festivities in Washington would end in disaster. There was plenty of chaos to go around elsewhere. In New York City, fireworks started a fire at the Brooklyn Bridge. In Chicago, fireworks struck a Delta Airlines plane as it prepared to land at Midway. But the nation's capital pulled off the largest celebration in the country without a hitch, leaving reporters with nothing to whine about. So they dusted off their favorite non-scandal and went back to the Reflecting Pool.
On Sunday, ABC's George Stephanopoulos took his shot at Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and it went about as well as you'd expect. For Burgum, that is.
"President Trump originally said that fixing it would cost under $2 million," Stephanopoulos said. "That cost has climbed above $15 million. And of course, the pool is still closed. So what went wrong? How are you going to fix it? How much is it going to cost?"
Gotcha, right? Wrong.
"First of all, let's put this all in context," Burgum said. "Under President Trump's leadership, Washington, D.C., we fixed 48 monuments, 22 fountains that hadn't had water going for years. We eliminated over 1,000 graffiti sites."
Burgum pointed out that the pool "was leaking 45,000 gallons a day" and that fixing it has stumped better-funded administrations before.
"It's been attempted to be fixed in the past, widely reported, by The New York Times, Washington Post, and others that this pool was closed for two years between 2010 and 2012," Burgum said. "$34 million was spent. It's a challenging thing."
The Obama administration shut the pool down for two years and burned through $34 million, and Stephanopoulos never batted an eye. Trump's team gets it done for less than half that, and we’re supposed to be angry about it.
Recommended: This Rubio Video Might Be the Most Patriotic Thing You See All Year
Burgum explained that a new industrial liner means that "the Reflecting Pool is not leaking," while nanobubbler technology handled the algae and "the water is now clear." As for the fences that had the press clutching its pearls all week, there's a perfectly boring explanation for those, too.
"The reason why the fences were up the last week was to get ready for the world's largest fireworks show," Burgum said. "On either side of the Reflecting Pool is where the fireworks are stationed."
🚨 LMFAO! George Stephanopoulos just embarrassed himself on the Reflecting Pool
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 5, 2026
"Fixing it would cost $2M, now it's $15M, and the pool is still closed. What went wrong?"
SEC. DOUG BURGUM: "It WAS leaking 45,000 gallons PER DAY! It was attempted to be fixed in the past...it's… pic.twitter.com/XPqjVlaYYW
Stephanopoulos wasn't the only one trying to breathe life into this nothingburger.
Over on CNN's State of the Union, Dana Bash similarly claimed that the Reflecting Pool was closed on the Fourth of July, and, of course, Burgum swatted that down just as easily.
"No, it was closed because the largest fireworks display in the country was set up, and it lines either side of the Reflecting Pool. You can't have people around fireworks when they're being set up," Burgum told Bash. Now that the fireworks are over, the fence will be coming down. ”The fence was there because of the fireworks."
CNN’s Dana Bash: “It was July 4, and the Reflecting Pool was closed.”
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) July 5, 2026
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum: “It was closed because it's surrounded by fireworks. It's closed every year on the Fourth of July.”
Dana Bash: “But it was closed prior to that in order to fix the Reflecting… pic.twitter.com/70sgedWGmk
The Reflecting Pool isn’t leaking for the first time in years. The water is clear, and the fences are coming down. That’s what success looks like. Yet the media is still so desperate to create a scandal where there isn’t one because the alternative is admitting that Donald Trump promised to make Washington safe and beautiful, and he delivered.
Editor's Note: It’s America’s 250th birthday! Help PJ Media celebrate the greatest nation in history by honoring its past, defending its present, and preserving its future with reporting you can trust.
Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code AMERICA250 to receive 74% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member