Trump announces new promenade at Lincoln Memorial

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a new promenade will be constructed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

What they’re saying:

“They want to call it the Trump Promenade, but I don’t know if I want to do that, but it’s going to be beautiful,” Trump told reporters at the White House. 

He did not specify who had proposed naming the project after him.

RELATD: Water begins flowing into Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after renovations

Preservation group sues over Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool makeover

A preservation group is suing the Trump administration over a controversial resurfacing project at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. The lawsuit alleges federal historic preservation laws were ignored and seeks to halt the project until a full review and public process can be completed. FOX 5 D.C.’s Shirin Rajaee has the story. 

Big picture view:

The announcement is part of a broader effort by the Republican president to reshape Washington’s monumental core. Trump has also proposed building a 250-foot (76-meter) arch and constructing a 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House, which he plans to demolish.

Dig deeper:

Water began refilling the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Thursday, President Donald Trump announced from the Oval Office.

Trump has put the cost of the work on the pool at $1.5 million to $2 million, but records show that at least $14.8 million worth of contracts have been awarded for the project. The president announced the work in April during an unrelated Oval Office appearance, saying he was inspired by complaints from a friend visiting from Germany who called the pool dark and disgusting.

RELATED: Preservation group sues over Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool makeover

The project is another way for Trump to leave his mark on the city, following the demolition of the White House East Wing to build a large ballroom and plans to build an arch between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

The reflecting pool, which is more than 2,000 feet (610 meters) long, was originally built in the 1920s. It sits between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument and is one of the most iconic sites in Washington. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously gave his “I Have a Dream” speech there in 1963.

The basin held about 6.5 million gallons of water — roughly as much as 10 Olympic-size swimming pools — before a 2012 renovation, according to the National Park Service. Under that earlier renovation, the pool was reengineered with a circulation and filtration system so that instead of using the city’s drinking water, it draws river water from the nearby Tidal Basin. Washington and its surrounding states are facing drought conditions.

The other side:

Critics have said Trump, a Republican, is spending too much time and attention on his pet projects and not enough on issues that voters care about, like the cost of living, in the run-up to the November elections. Others have said he wants the reflecting pool to look more like a swimming pool.

Last month, a Washington-based nonprofit called the Cultural Landscape Foundation filed a suit asking a judge to force the Trump administration to stop work on the “dark grey” Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying the new paint color suggested a “theme park.”