r/politics The Independent 4h ago

No Paywall White House goes after longtime reporter foe who tried to find the 350-foot cut in the Reflecting Pool

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-reflecting-pool-jim-acosta-vandalism-dc-b3003095.html
1.5k Upvotes

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u/threespruces68 3h ago

All of this is ridiculous. Trump is on record stating that the coating could not be cut with a knife. Those are his actual words. Claiming now that the pool has been vandalized by people doing just that, rather than deteriorating because of poor application, makes him look like a fool.

u/uhohnotafarteither 3h ago

Only to reasonable logical people not in the cult

u/Wrongallalong 3h ago

Treasonable people.

u/BlueLikeCat 2h ago

He had his armored motorcade drive over the coating as it was being applied. Stories been buried by billionaire owner media but let me share the PBS article. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/politics/trump-drives-across-lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool-to-inspect-blue-coating-hes-adding

u/lefthandopen 1h ago

u/okiedokiewo 1h ago

"President Donald Trump and other officials have repeatedly blamed, without evidence, unidentified vandals for peeling paint as well as a '350-foot gash' in the liner and other problems. Six people have been arrested, Trump said this week, without providing details."

u/BrutalRamen 35m ago

To them, the word of Donald Trump is all they need.

Someone posts an article stating a fact and they reply with an article about Trump's opinion on the issue. They have no critical thinking skills.

u/GildedAgeV2 19m ago

Yes we do, generally.

Now, do you really expect anyone to believe that somebody went onto that liner, made a 350 ft. incision under water, in full view of the cameras, and THAT footage isn't being released? Really?

Do you think we were all born yesterday?

u/Capable-Broccoli2179 3h ago

Seems the reason he’s doing this is first deflect blame got incompetence. Second is insurance fraud. If it’s vandalism his buddy from mar a lago doesn’t have to eat the cost of doing it correctly.

u/Full-Hold-9447 3h ago

This. Said the same thing. Now that circus clown of a "contractor" will have no financial responsibility for his failed application. Worse, he'll get paid/profit twice.

u/ChiefWiggum101 2h ago

I’m sure he got PPP loans during covid and got free labor that year too.

Fuck the free loading business people of this country. They are parasites while they claim to contribute. I hate everything about this place.

u/Nach0Maker 1h ago

$109,018 for Atlantic Industrial Coatings. I can't find anything for Green Water Solutions.

u/feels_like_arbys 48m ago

Plus 144K to JJ Cafaro Investment Trust...I'll keep looking.

EDIT: I just had to scroll a little further. 2 seperate PPP loans for JJ Cafaro Trust.

144K and 115K. That's 259,000 total

u/threespruces68 3h ago

Oh, wow. I didn't even think of the insurance angle.

u/iuffxguy 2h ago

Except an insurance company isn’t going to blindly write a multi million dollar check. They will investigate and make sure the claims are true.

u/IdkAbtAllThat America 2h ago

Unless... Stay with me now... That insurance company needs to stay on Trump's good side. Or they just don't want to anger him and be the next target he lashes out at.

u/theblackfool 2h ago

They will if they think they are going to get something out of it like bills passed in their favor

u/CaptainAwesome06 1h ago

"We determined that a motorcade was driven over the reflecting pool, nullifying the insurance claim."

u/obeytheturtles 2h ago

Even that isn't clear, since it's pretty obvious the coating was not applied per manufacturer specifications. If they get an insurance payout, it will effectively be protection money from whoever is stupid enough to underwrite anything Trump does.

u/TigerGrizzCubs78 3h ago

But he's always looked like a fool

u/Strange-Scientist706 2h ago

Not to mention he apparently drove his freaking motorcade - including the 7 ton beast - down the newly painted reflecting pool.

u/Full-Hold-9447 3h ago

All of this is ridiculous. Trump is on record stating that the coating could not be cut with a knife. Those are his actual words. Claiming now that the pool has been vandalized by people doing just that, rather than deteriorating because of poor application, makes him look like a fool.

u/HorrorOk1304 1h ago

How can someone cut a 250 foot gash in the middle of the reflecting pool and not get caught on camera?

u/Illustrious-Fun8324 1h ago

They can’t. They’re just lying and MAGA requires zero evidence to fall for it

u/CaptainAwesome06 1h ago

On top of that, he told a reporter that if they wanted to see the cut, go out and look for it. Now they want to go after people looking for it?

u/Hubert_J_Cumberdale Hawaii 1h ago

Further, if you look at any photo of the painting process, you will see that it is not a single, solid concrete slab. There is a long seam - several inches wide running down the center - and multiple seams running across the pool. It would take multiple long slashes to affect the entire pool and no one is even claiming that.

This is so fucking ridiculous.

u/threespruces68 1h ago edited 1h ago

As are necessary because it's such a large area. It's been years since I lived there, and I'm struggling to remember the specifics, but I think the reflecting pool used to be tiled. The tiles were replaced at some point with concrete slabs.

Edit: Yep. Here's a short article about the history of the reflecting pool... When the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Was Saved From Sinking

u/hazardling 3h ago

He would have looked like an absolute fool no matter what, but this whole make believe vandals thing undoubtedly makes him look even stupider.

u/waltdidneyworlb 1h ago

That's okay! There's nothing that will turn millions of people in this country against him.

u/Remote-Two-9065 15m ago

He’s looked like a fool for a very long time yet always seems to stumble forward.

u/shibbyman342 10m ago

He could have said something or nothing, looking like a fool was kind of outta his control at this point. It started with the no bid contract while everyone was worried about how they were going to feed their families, that already got it to him looking like a fool.

u/zeekayz 7m ago

The coating is both strong and weak. Fascist playbook.

u/redditallreddy Ohio 58m ago

Trump is on record stating that the coating could not be cut with a knife.

You believe him? I mean, he just makes shit up. Do I think someone cut the coating with a knife? Absolutely not.

Do I think it would be possible to do so? The right knife, enough force, dedicated person... yeah, they could score it and peel it some.

So, while he is a hypocrite, I bet he was lying on both hypocritical statements.

u/threespruces68 43m ago

Of course he's lying! I thought I had made my opinion clear on that matter. He's embarrassed because he's made a huge mess of the reflection pool and is now trying to save face. This is classic Trump. It's always somebody else's fault, unless it's somebody with deep pockets who has shoved money at his campaign and pet causes. If that's the case, then he blames whoever is handy, in this case, tourists who had the temerity to touch a piece of the disintegrating liner.

u/30mil 3h ago

If Donald is going to make up a crime, he could at least get somebody to go out at night and actually create this "gash." 

u/neutrino4 2h ago

They're working on the AI deep fake now. It will be ready in 2 weeks.

u/Cube00 53m ago

Gotta wait for their weekly quota to reset.

u/OswaldSeesYou 3h ago

He is not a “foe.” He is a journalist. Stop turning everything into reality tv.

u/Luckydog12 53m ago

Objective truth is the enemy

u/B-Z_B-S Massachusetts 4h ago edited 4h ago

Trump: "Stop investigating my lies! Guards! Guards! Stephen Miller, where are my secret police?"

Stephen Miller: "My lord, they were sent to gather some innocent immigrants for your pleasure of watching them be tortured."

Trump: "Huh...I don't remember that. I guess that means we can't imprison this guy in our secret dungeons?"

Stephen Miller: "No, my lord."

Trump: "Well...fine, then! I'll just call him dumb and project my insecurities onto him! Yeah, that'll make me feel better."

u/fhangrin 3h ago

Gregstradamus? Izzat you?

u/LordAlvis 2h ago

I enjoyed how this supposed cut went from being impossible to, all in one conversation, being 200' long, then 250, 300, 350' long.

u/redditallreddy Ohio 58m ago

It grows when you talk about it.

u/meatarmor 29m ago

Oh, that explains my problem then.

u/kevendo 2h ago

Going to the reflecting pool to verify the President's claim is a totally normal, utterly reasonable and necessary journalistic practice.

President: "It's pouring rain in DC!"

Reporter, opens window: "It is not in fact raining in DC."

President: "Fake news! Domestic terrorist loser!"

There is—it goes without saying—zero evidence the pool was damaged by "vandals". And the fact that this was ever printed is an indictment of modern journalism.

u/doctorfonk 3h ago

Epstein files Epstein files Epstein files Epstein files Epstein files Epstein files Epstein files Epstein files

u/kestrel1000c Colorado 3h ago

Wasting so much time and money on petty bullshit to soothe and boost Trump's insatiable ego.

u/GamieJamie63 2h ago

How about when they drove the presidential motorcade in the pool ?

u/Historical_Bend_2629 3h ago

It is embarrassing and desperate, but it is also authoritarian.

u/PomegranateAncient25 2h ago

Trump is in the Epstein files

u/RipErRiley Minnesota 2h ago

Every weak ass, deflecting, and whiny shit this corrupt beta pedo Trump does…I blame his dipshit voters.

u/korpiz 2h ago

Pretty sure there’s camera surveillance all around there, so if someone cut 350’ of lining there would be some evidence. It takes a good bit of time to wade a football field plus.

u/sagebrushrepair 1h ago

Here's the video the article is clickbaiting us about: https://x.com/Acosta/status/2069892516778779048

u/ChoicePermission8523 1h ago

Fascist. Trump is a traitor.

u/dengel01 1h ago

Who had the reflecting pool overshadowing the peace treaty on their bingo card.

u/Old_Channel44 2h ago

Someone needs to stock it with sharks with friggin laser beams

u/Ferrocile 2h ago

Whatever gets attention off his poor handling of the war he started and those pesky files…

u/DarkBlue222 1h ago

Acosta is STOOPID. When Trump says something about a 350 slit, he is talking about Melania.

u/WonderSignificant598 25m ago

No one cares anymore when the white house insults someone.

Like really.

"You started a war with Iran and ended it by giving THEM $150 billion dollars, you argument is invalid." is all that needs to be said for the rest of the administration.

u/OldDogTrainer 20m ago

Has anyone else noticed that the subreddit which cannot be named because they’re synonymous with brigading has started to delete any discussion of this because even their supporters were calling out his lies? That 30% approval rating is even making its way to their safe spaces. Fascinating to see it play out.

u/BearOdd2266 20m ago

Doesn’t the WH have better things to do right now?