Letters from an American - Reality Defies Trump’s Narrative

Episode Date: June 22, 2026

June 20, 2026The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has become a metaphor for the Trump presidency, Trump claimed he would fix the reflecting pool for $1.8 million, When renovations were declared complete Trump claimed it was a triumph, But the cost was vastly over the budget, a no-bid contract had been awarded for the work, and the work immediately failed, 12 days after it was done, the epoxy from the bottom of the pool was peeling off, but the Interior Department claimed the White House didn’t know that the work had been contracted to a company that Trump originally said he had chosen, A former Olympic athlete, who stopped by the pool and put his hand in the water to feel the detached material, was arrested for destruction of government property, Trump had found someone to blame for his blunders, The reflecting pool is defying his narrative, as are Iran and Israel, Israel does not consider itself bound by the MOU signed by Trump, US Intelligence expects Netanyahu to continue striking Hezbollah, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again, J.C. Vance left for Switzerland for negotiations, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is refusing to go along with Trump’s narrative about her, showing how Trump’s power is crumbling, The National Guard is patrolling the area around the reflecting pool as Trump claims vandalism by additional people - although security cameras offer no proof of either vandalism or arrests. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

June 20, 26. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has become a metaphor for the Trump presidency. Beginning in early April, Trump boasted he was going to fix the reflecting pool after what he claimed was gross neglect by former president's Barack Obama and Joe Biden. He claimed the repairs, including sealing the pool and painting it American flag blue, would cost about $1.8 million, and that it would all be finished by July 4, 26, in time for the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Repeatedly, he bashed his predecessors over the pool, insisting that his skills would enable him to make it better than ever, at minimal cost, and that the repairs could last for a hundred years. The government declared the pool renovations complete on June 6th, and water began flowing back into it. Trump immediately claimed it was a triumph. Thank you, President Trump, he wrote on social media.

But the story was not over. David A. Ferenhold of the New York Times reported that the repairs had, in fact, run far over budget to at least $14.2 million. The administration had awarded a no-bid contract to a company Trump first said he had chosen and then said he didn't know, and had agreed to a 20% profit margin, although a National Park Service analysis found that margin, inflated. And then, just a day after the reservoir filled with water, algae began to bloom in it. A spokesperson for the Interior Department said the algae were residual and a normal part of the process of refilling the pool. President Donald J. Trump is an expert builder who has fixed the reflecting pool for good, unlike the failed and extremely costly attempt by Obama and Biden, she said in a statement.

Experts disagreed, saying that the darker bottom and the sealed seams meant the water would heat up faster than it had before and thus support more algae. By June 16, crews from the National Park Service were pouring hydrogen peroxide into the water to kill the algae that had turned the pool bright green, even as Trump insisted the pool was perfect. By Thursday, June 18th, the new blue epoxy at the bottom of the pool was peeling off and floating in the vivid green pool. Ferenhold reported in the New York Times that the National Park Service contracted not only the coating and painting of the pool under a no-bid contract, but also an additional $1.7 million contract for a water purification system. That no-bid contract went to a firm whose ultimate owner is the J.J. Kaffaro Investment Trust,

led by Trump donor John J. Kaffaro, whose wife chaired the 2017 International Red Cross Ball at Maralago, and who lives near Maralago at a mansion that is listed as the water treatment company's address in Florida corporate records. The name of the firm is Greenwater Services. A spokesperson for the Interior Department said the White House was not involved in the choice of Greenwater Services, and the department did not know of Kaffaro's political support for Trump when it awarded the contract. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz commented, Found an imaginary problem, said only they could fix it, didn't listen to experts, hired buddies who grifted millions, failed miserably, bragged how great it went.

the entire Trump presidency in a nutshell. On Friday, former Olympic canoe racer David Hearn, 67, stopped by the pool on a 52-mile bike ride and reached into the water to feel what the detached material felt like. U.S. Park police officers arrested him for destruction of government property, a misdemeanor. I didn't vandalize anything, Hearn told David J. Lynch and Aaron Schaefer of the Washington Post. I didn't destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs. Friday night, Trump blamed radical left lunatics, most likely Democrats who have spent their lives trying to ruin our country, for some real problems with vandalism at the beautiful reflecting pool.

By this evening, he was blaming multiple individuals for vandalizing our nation's magnificent, reflecting pool. Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of national monuments. Years in jail. Work will begin immediately on its repair. Until his second term in office, Trump has always been protected from the fallout from his own actions, and it appears he has become accustomed to simply describing his fantasy world and expecting that others will agree they see it. If his fix for the refurb, pool failed, someone else must be responsible, and they must pay for it. The pattern walls identified with regard to the pool applies also to Trump's debacle in Iran,

and not only is the reflecting pool defying his narrative, so are Iran and Israel. Israel has said it does not consider itself bound by the memorandum of understanding Trump signed at Versailles on Friday. that MOU said the U.S. and Iran and their allies in the current war would immediately and permanently stop military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon. Israel has been attacking what it says are Hezbollah camps in southern Lebanon and has occupied parts of the region as a security zone. On Friday, Julian E. Barnes of the New York Times reported that a recent U.S. intelligence report assessed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to continue striking

Hezbollah despite the MOU. Hezbollah is funded by Iran and is continuing to strike northern Israel. David M. Halbfinger of the New York Times reported on Thursday that Israel was stunned by the U.S. Iran MOU and sees it as a cataclysmic disaster. Israel has continued, to strike Lebanon. And after additional strikes last night, Iranian officials today announced that in the wake of these breaches of the MOU, they had, once again, close the Strait of Hormuz. This afternoon, Vice President J.D. Vance left for Switzerland to join the negotiations, but already Iran has indicated it intends to charge insurance fees for the ships going through the strait. Trump appeared to try to pressure Iran by threatening to impose U.S. tolls on the strait if an agreement falls through. There will be no tolls in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the ceasefire period,

and there will be no tolls after the 60-day period has expired, unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America should the deal not be completed. For services rendered as the Guardian angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs. That Prime Minister Georgia Maloney of Italy is also refusing to go along with Trump's narrative shows how Trump's power is crumbling. A former ally, Maloney is now publicly contradicting Trump. Earlier this week, Trump told an Italian television host that Maloney had begged for a picture with him at the G7 conference and that he felt sorry for her. Maloney said his comments were entirely made up and the Italian foreign minister canceled a trip to the United States over the

flap. Maloney highlighted the damage Trump has done to our alliances and indicated allies are done pretending his behavior is okay. I don't know why the U.S. president behaves this way toward allies, she wrote on Instagram. I can only say it is regrettable he does not show the same determination towards the enemies of the West and towards the enemies of the U.S., enemies whose leaders

he instead appears to be far more accommodating with. But there is one thing he needs to remember. Neither I nor Italy ever beg. But Trump couldn't let it go. This morning he posted, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Maloney asked over and over for a picture with me during the G7 meeting in France. She's doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a nuclear weapon.

But so did NATO, for that matter. She wouldn't even let us use Italy's landing strips or runways, a great, legitimate. logistical inconvenience, and this, despite the fact the U.S. contributes hundreds of billions of dollars a year to protect Italy and other so-called NATO allies. Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her numbers up. No thanks. Using a vulgar colloquialism, the headline on the front page of the Italian newspaper Libreiro today translated to Trump is an asshole.

Today it appeared that the National Guard is patrolling the area around the reflecting pool. Tonight, Trump posted that many additional people have been arrested having to do with a disgraceful vandalism of our beautiful reflecting pool. The reflecting pool worked perfectly, including the mirror-like finish,

perfectly reflecting the two great monuments, monuments which it never had before. What these terrible vandals have done is a true affront to both presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and should be dealt with accordingly. Although multiple cameras line the mall and no one has offered any proof of vandalism, and although we have all been able to see workers dumping chemicals into the pool to kill the algae, Trump claimed that vandals took some form of a knife or blade and put a 250-foot-long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete. They also poured corrosive and destructive chemicals into the pool. The reflecting pool was never so beautiful as it was just one week ago, even going back to 1922 when it opened, he wrote.

We are very proud of what we have done with this magnificent structure, and we will get it repaired quickly to an equal level of beauty. Letters from an American was written and read by Heather Cox Richardson. It was produced at Soundscape Productions, Dead in Massachusetts, recorded with music composed by Michael Moss.