The creator performs a satirical skit chronicling the maintenance issues of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. He first portrays a maintenance worker from 2012 admitting that a $35 million project under the Obama administration failed to fix leaks. He then impersonates Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2026, hiring two incompetent painters (also played by the creator) to fix the pool, bypassing bidding laws and making absurd demands. Finally, an aide reports the new project's failure and massive cost overruns, prompting the Trump character to deny involvement and fire the aide, all while referencing real news articles about the situation.
Post caption
The Reflecting Pool is a bright blue money pit.
Interior Department staff members have raised concerns about the quality and speed of the repair work that a contractor is performing on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, according to government documents seen by The New York Times.
The staff members said that bubbles and small holes had appeared in one of the layers meant to waterproof the iconic pool. And uneven application of the tinted waterproofing left the pool mottled in varying shades of blue, the documents indicate.
The documents say both issues were being addressed, but they raise the possibility that the work may not be finished by the government’s deadline of May 22. That would be an ironic turn of events, given that federal bidding laws were skirted because the government had argued there was an urgent need — to have it ready for the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
Caption from article by David Fahrenthold and Maxine Joselow, The New York Times.
Transcript
Alright. All done. Wow. Okay. So after two years and $35,000,000 from the Obama administration, did you fix all the leaks from the reflecting pool? No. This is gonna leak 16,000,000 gallons a year. Okay. Well, did you fix tier problem with the algae accumulating every year? Nope. Well, we tried. Hey, you fellas do a terrific job with all my hotel pools. Do you wanna take a stab at the reflecting pool? In Washington? What do you want us to do to it? Fix all the leaks that Obama couldn't. We can try. I want you to paint it American flag blue. That's this color, right? No. Yes. Is anyone else trying to get this contract? Don't we have to do a whole bidding process? Who needs rules? I choose you. Cool. Better president, you know your friends who you gave that contract to to fix the reflecting pool? Yes. The best of the best. They know pools. Well, it's not going well. Only 35% of the pool has been fully coated, and the blue keeps taking different shades of blue, like dark blue, turquoise, and better blue hues. Well, how much of the waterproofing is done? Oh, I've got that right here. 0%. Are they gonna get it done for $1,800,000 no, it's looking closer to 13,000,000, which is more. Dollars 13,000,000? I better post that I have no idea who these people are. Related to that, when you hired them, who I am now claiming to not no, yes, when you hired these complete strangers without doing a bidding process, we were able to skirt around federal bidding laws by saying that this was an emergency because it had to be done by the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary. So it's not gonna be done by May 22. Not unless you mean 05/22/2027. You're fired. Cut to commercial. Sorry. Old habits.
