President Donald Trump posted an apparently artificially generated image of himself with members of his Cabinet swimming in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The Reflecting Pool has been drained and is undergoing renovation as part of Trump’s development projects around the nation’s capital.
“Right now, it’s got no water in it because it was in terrible shape. It was filthy, dirty, and it leaked like a sieve for many years,” Trump said in a video message on April 23.
Late on May 1, Trump posted a fake image of himself, shirtless, giving a thumbs up as he lounges in the pool with other Cabinet members in their swimsuits. In October, Trump joked that he wouldn’t be seen in a bathing suit. Here is what to know about the post and the pool project:
Trump reflecting pool post comes amid restoration projects
Trump has been sprucing up the capital city as a showcase for World Cup soccer games in June and July and the country’s 250th anniversary on July 4. He is also building a $400 million ballroom for the White House and proposing a triumphal arch on an island in the Potomac River.
Trump announced on April 23 that the reflecting pool would also be restored. The Reflecting Pool was built in 1922. Trump described it as an odd shape: 2,200 feet long, 167 feet wide and 1½ to 2 feet deep.
Trump said granite and other stones used to construct it weren’t the best for holding water, like the hundreds of swimming pools he built as a real estate developer.
The president added that he inspected the pool after hearing from a friend visiting from Germany who called the appearance “sad.”
“He said it’s filthy, dirty, the water is disgusting looking,” Trump said. “It’s not representative of the country.”
Trump said the Biden administration had studied replacing the iconic pool’s granite but never embarked on the project, which had an estimated cost of $301 million and was expected to take more than three years. Instead, Trump said, contractors would sandblast, caulk and resurface the bottom like an industrial-grade pool for an estimated $1.5 million and be finished in a few weeks. The bottom will be repainted “American flag blue.”
Who else is pictured in the reflecting pool swim party post?
Trump is pictured in a golden inflatable chair with other members of his Cabinet in the AI image posted May 1. Swimming next to him is Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and a woman in a bikini. The White House did not immediately confirm her identity.
The same night, Trump also posted a picture of himself with a handful of Uno wildcards, captioned “I have all the cards.” The president has taken to frequently posting fake illustrations of himself, including one of him being embraced by Jesus.
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X (Twitter), Threads, Bluesky and TikTok.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trump posts AI image of himself, Cabinet members in Reflecting Pool
Reporting by Kinsey Crowley and Bart Jansen, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
