The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi
Oct 16, 2026 · 49 min · 12 segments
A federal judge this week temporarily blocked the Trump administration from cutting down any more trees…
Tom SherwoodHost
Brooke PintoGuest
Kojo NnamdiHostDon BeyerGuest
... a couple of issues that we know the congressman is interested in, and that, let's start with the Reflecting Pool and what happened there.
[laughs] It apparently failed in 85 places after flawed renovation, a flawed renovation that the president seemed to think was the responsibility of people who he alleged had, had damaged the pool.
Well, listen, this is, it's a little bit funny, but it's serious because people were charged with felonies and, and crimes-
But The Washington Post, give it credit, got a report, unpublished report, that showed that the, there were 85 places in the Reflecting Pool, uh, a- adjacent to the, to the Lincoln Memorial, that's failed with this r- uh, $16 million renovation of the Reflecting Pool.
When you heard the US attorney and the president all claiming that it was vandalism, sharp knives, items cut it all up, none of that was true.
The contractor who did the work apparently didn't know what he or she was doing, and it was terrible.
And this report the Post has now reported helps put a s- a, a final stamp on this.
The Trump administration misled the American people about what happened at the Reflecting Pool.
No, but this is also disappointing because, once again, this was a no-bid contract.
Uh, they gave it to the company without checking, y- getting three or four bids, listening to the, the strength from o- other people, how it would work.
And it certainly, uh, it was very disappointing to have Trump blaming other people f- for cutting it with knives and the like when none of that was true.
He, he, he wanted it rushed and done before the 250th anniversary, and the opposite occurred.
Plus, there was never any thought about what that would actually do to the algae that grew in the pool, what, what a different color might it have to do with the, the heat of the pool, what the w- imp- would do with ensure the oxygen and the sunshine.
Uh, to, w- we should note that that Reflecting Pool has had trouble for a long time, which means it has to be taken care of carefully because of all the issues.
But already again this morning, there was a reporting that the finished product, where they put water in the pool, is leaking.
... a couple of issues that we know the congressman is interested in, and that, let's start with the Reflecting Pool and what happened there.
[laughs] It apparently failed in 85 places after flawed renovation, a flawed renovation that the president seemed to think was the responsibility of people who he alleged had, had damaged the pool.
Well, listen, this is, it's a little bit funny, but it's serious because people were charged with felonies and, and crimes-
But The Washington Post, give it credit, got a report, unpublished report, that showed that the, there were 85 places in the Reflecting Pool, uh, a- adjacent to the, to the Lincoln Memorial, that's failed with this r- uh, $16 million renovation of the Reflecting Pool.
When you heard the US attorney and the president all claiming that it was vandalism, sharp knives, items cut it all up, none of that was true.
The contractor who did the work apparently didn't know what he or she was doing, and it was terrible.
And this report the Post has now reported helps put a s- a, a final stamp on this.
The Trump administration misled the American people about what happened at the Reflecting Pool.
No, but this is also disappointing because, once again, this was a no-bid contract.
Uh, they gave it to the company without checking, y- getting three or four bids, listening to the, the strength from o- other people, how it would work.
And it certainly, uh, it was very disappointing to have Trump blaming other people f- for cutting it with knives and the like when none of that was true.
He, he, he wanted it rushed and done before the 250th anniversary, and the opposite occurred.
Plus, there was never any thought about what that would actually do to the algae that grew in the pool, what, what a different color might it have to do with the, the heat of the pool, what the w- imp- would do with ensure the oxygen and the sunshine.
Uh, to, w- we should note that that Reflecting Pool has had trouble for a long time, which means it has to be taken care of carefully because of all the issues.
But already again this morning, there was a reporting that the finished product, where they put water in the pool, is leaking.
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