Donald Trump’s signature beautification project, meant to prove his unique genius for getting things done quickly, cheaply and beautifully, is visibly, undeniably failing. As the “Great American State Fair” is slated to kick off its 16-day showcase Thursday for the United States’ 250th birthday, a sulfurous metaphor for the state of the American republic sits pooling in the heart of the nation’s capital. You can call it a swamp.
The bizarre ordeal with the renovation of Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is important not because of the pool itself. Americans have bigger concerns than algae in Washington. It matters because it illustrates a broader pattern that has defined Trump’s political career and increasingly characterizes his administration’s communication strategy. More than merely mismanaging reality, the White House is actively replacing it with conspiracy. The project has collapsed into an emblem of systemic incompetence and cronyism that the administration has attempted to mask through a dizzying array of official conspiracy theories, weaponized law enforcement and cynical trolling.
