Trump unveils repaired Lincoln Memorial pool after costs exceed $14m, up from under $2m

Donald Trump unveiled the completed repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on 2 November, ending months of work to fix a failed blue chemical coating that had caused widespread algae growth. The project required workers to drain the 2,000-foot-long pool, remove the damaged coating and apply a new sealant. The work has drawn strong criticism after the cost rose to more than $14 million in federal contracts. This is far above the government's original estimate of less than $2 million. Speaking to people gathered at the National Mall, Trump praised the finished work and said the pool had been returned to its historic condition. "We took out the dirty water, we cleaned it up, and now it looks like crystal," Trump said during the ceremony. "It is back to the way Abraham Lincoln would have wanted it." The repairs follow years of problems with the pool's structure and appearance. Built in 1923, the pool holds more than 6.7 million gallons of water and is one of the most visited places in the US capital.A blue coating turned greenThe latest repairs were needed after a synthetic blue coating, added during an earlier maintenance project, started peeling away from the concrete floor....