While Critics Mocked the Cleanup, Trump Honored the Workers Who Did It

President Trump invited the men who renovated the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to the Oval Office, and every one of them walked out with a signed hat and a presidential challenge coin.

White House aide Margo Martin posted a video from the Oval Office:

Last night, @POTUS invited the hardworking men who renovated the Reflecting Pool to the Oval Office ❤️

Every man received a signed hat and a presidential challenge coin! pic.twitter.com/sRoO6Z3bYo
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) June 10, 2026

These were the crews who came from across the country to work on the project, and Trump had already made a point of recognizing them. Back in May, he showed up at the Reflecting Pool site unannounced, shook every worker's hand, and handed out presidential challenge coins on the spot. Bringing them to the Oval Office was his way of finishing what he started.

The visit capped months of restoration work across Washington ahead of America's 250th birthday celebration next year. The White House has been posting before-and-after images under the slogan "Decline Is a Choice," showing what several landmarks looked like before the administration took office and what they look like now. The contrast is not subtle.

Decline is a choice. Making D.C. safe & beautiful again is too.

THANK YOU, @POTUS! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/hlC9j0jATU
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 8, 2026

THANK YOU, @POTUS! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/VM1sxaUPgw
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 9, 2026

Meridian Hill Park and Freedom Plaza both got the treatment, and the before images are a useful reminder of how far things had slipped. The administration has framed it all under the "D.C. Safe and Beautiful" initiative, which has been rolling out projects across the city at a steady pace.

Last month, Columbus Circle at Union Station reopened after a full restoration, returning its historic fountain to operation for the first time since 2007. The fountain had sat dormant through years of neglect, vandalism, and protest encampments, with pro-Hamas activists spray-painting graffiti on it on multiple occasions. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum called it a "symbol of neglect" before the work was done. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, attended by ambassadors from Italy and Spain, he said the administration had "changed the front door of America." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was also there and announced a $465 million DOT grant for broader Union Station improvements, covering structural repairs, passenger concourses, the Amtrak lounge, security upgrades, and more.

Epic Fail: White House Slams Getty Over New Blue Pool Coating

The Reflecting Pool drew its share of attention along the way. In May, Trump visited the site, and a reporter asked him why he was bothering to clean it up. He said workers had hauled out 11 or 12 truckloads of garbage and that the nation's capital had no business looking like that. "That's not what our country is about," he said. "Our country is about beauty, cleanliness, safety, great people, not a filthy capital." Later, when Getty Images captioned the blue waterproofing coating being applied to the pool basin as "paint," the White House Rapid Response account responded: "It's not paint, morons.”

Months of work, condensed into seconds. Watch the transformation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as crews drained, repainted, and refilled one of America's most iconic landmarks ahead of a busy summer season in Washington, D.C. pic.twitter.com/HBoJUx6n0t
— EarthCam (@EarthCam) June 9, 2026

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stopped by last night to take in the view:

I stopped by the new Reflecting Pool. It is simply glorious. There were a thousand people, everywhere, taking pictures and just enjoying its beauty. Thank you President Trump for restoring our city’s national treasure. pic.twitter.com/Ii7DlEItfd
— Howard Lutnick (@howardlutnick) June 10, 2026

The media spent weeks asking why Trump was wasting time cleaning up a pool. Liberals were worked up over waterproofing compound. Meanwhile, Trump was out there shaking hands with the guys in hard hats, slipping them challenge coins, and eventually bringing the whole crew to the Oval Office. Working men who came from across the country to restore the nation's capital got to stand in the most famous room in the world and leave with a signed hat from the president. The press will find something to complain about. They always do.

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