Berk Kutay Gokmen
12 September 2026•Update: 12 September 2026
The contractor hired to renovate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC, told the Trump administration that problems with the repair plan and worker mistakes caused the pool’s new blue liner to peel and break loose, The New York Times reported Friday.
The findings contradict US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that vandals using knives or box cutters damaged the landmark. Federal prosecutors previously charged several people with vandalism but later moved to dismiss the cases after questions emerged about whether a faulty installation caused the damage, said the report.
Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the contractor overseeing the project, acknowledged in reports to the government that its workers failed to apply enough primer in some areas due to “human oversight.” The company said the larger problem, however, involved the repair plan.
The plan required two chemical compounds to be applied in layers, but the materials proved incompatible. The upper compound became hotter than the lower layer could withstand, causing the underlying coating to blister and separate from the pool’s concrete surface, according to the report.
Atlantic Industrial reportedly said the outcome was unexpected because the two products were rarely used together in that manner.
The problems stem from an accelerated renovation effort intended to have the pool ready before July 4 – the US’ 250th anniversary. The government awarded Atlantic Industrial a $14.7 million no-bid contract, using an untested repair approach that was partly designed by the general manager of one of Trump’s golf clubs, according to the report.
The pool was drained so workers could try to fix the failed installation. Atlantic Industrial reportedly said the repairs are covered by warranty and that it will redo the work using a smaller, more closely supervised crew. The company also plans to consult an adviser from the manufacturer of the chemicals used in the coating.
Blisters and sweat
Repair crews have encountered additional difficulties. After power-washing the pool in August to remove loose sections of the blue liner, workers had to use razor blades, hammers, and crowbars to remove material still attached to the concrete.
When workers began applying new coating, blisters again appeared between the layers. Atlantic Industrial eventually stopped applying the hotter compound on the other material, which reduced the problem but did not eliminate it, said the report.
The company later identified another possible cause: sweat from workers wearing protective suits in Washington’s summer heat. Droplets may have become trapped beneath freshly applied layers of coating, according to the report.
Atlantic Industrial said vandals were responsible for cuts found in caulking around the pool’s edge, which National Park Service employees had previously reported to police. But the contractor did not attribute the cuts to the widespread peeling of the liner on the pool floor, according to the report.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department charged former Olympic canoeist David Hearn and three others in connection with alleged vandalism. Prosecutors later sought to dismiss the cases, with Washington’s US attorney saying the Interior Department had given prosecutors misleading information about the extent to which vandalism, rather than a failed installation, was responsible.
Trump continued to blame vandals even after the cases began to collapse. In an Aug. 9 social media post, however, he acknowledged that there was “no video or proof” of the alleged vandalism and conceded that contractor errors had also contributed to the damage.
The pool, which Trump had said would reopen “shortly,” is currently closed. Recent work at the site reportedly shows crews removing large sections of the blue liner and applying new coating as officials seek to complete the renovation.
