'Our pool is bigger than skyscrapers': Amid war, Trump touts Washington projects / Photo: © AFP
CMSD
-0.0900
The Fort Worth Press - 'Our pool is bigger than skyscrapers': Amid war, Trump touts Washington projects
USD
-
AED 3.67295
AFN 66.00018
ALL 80.066009
AMD 365.249926
ANG 1.789783
AOA 917.999667
ARS 1494.994298
AUD 1.411353
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.713532
BAM 1.689844
BBD 2.014455
BDT 122.025082
BGN 1.696366
BHD 0.377025
BIF 2987.5
BMD 1
BND 1.278101
BOB 11.57661
BRL 5.215298
BSD 1.000186
BTN 95.649807
BWP 13.500717
BYN 3.042111
BYR 19600
BZD 2.011569
CAD 1.39041
CDF 2270.000582
CHF 0.812175
CLF 0.023452
CLP 923.070272
CNY 6.743298
CNH 6.74695
COP 3115
CRC 449.280935
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 95.270804
CZK 20.90175
DJF 177.71974
DKK 6.457785
DOP 58.739626
DZD 132.910036
EGP 50.530501
ERN 15
ETB 161.79626
EUR 0.86381
FJD 2.208964
FKP 0.73738
GBP 0.738805
GEL 2.597447
GGP 0.73738
GHS 11.084996
GIP 0.73738
GMD 73.495518
GNF 8786.186101
GTQ 7.629268
GYD 209.249883
HKD 7.843885
HNL 26.817351
HRK 6.5088
HTG 130.825457
HUF 316.033501
IDR 17879
ILS 2.994501
IMP 0.73738
INR 95.78175
IQD 1310.281367
IRR 1374574.999375
ISK 122.830168
JEP 0.73738
JMD 158.0373
JOD 0.708972
JPY 159.589498
KES 129.440318
KGS 87.450282
KHR 4043.000285
KMF 424.99973
KPW 900.000294
KRW 1412.889818
KWD 0.30877
KYD 0.833492
KZT 461.941214
LAK 22540.942885
LBP 89566.055097
LKR 331.989787
LRD 181.533065
LSL 16.225889
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 6.372987
MAD 9.293278
MDL 17.253028
MGA 4307.91296
MKD 53.154037
MMK 2099.801401
MNT 3596.870401
MOP 8.080213
MRU 40.113705
MUR 47.000387
MVR 15.449939
MWK 1734.288331
MXN 17.071398
MYR 4.059898
MZN 63.90505
NAD 16.225889
NGN 1350.07937
NIO 36.807113
NOK 9.41944
NPR 153.044147
NZD 1.702455
OMR 0.384477
PAB 1.000168
PEN 3.368628
PGK 4.494615
PHP 61.854958
PKR 277.579544
PLN 3.73572
PYG 6034.292824
QAR 3.656087
RON 4.530701
RSD 101.410313
RUB 84.900741
RWF 1473.708766
SAR 3.746587
SBD 8.032258
SCR 13.871434
SDG 601.495489
SEK 9.539055
SGD 1.278475
SHP 0.740866
SLE 24.575006
SLL 20969.499227
SOS 571.633467
SRD 37.967015
STD 20697.981008
STN 21.16841
SVC 8.751625
SYP 13001.999906
SZL 16.214138
THB 33.10203
TJS 9.241503
TMT 3.51
TND 2.92919
TOP 2.40776
TRY 47.914301
TTD 6.782414
TWD 31.9439
TZS 2649.998035
UAH 44.804538
UGX 3730.824229
UYU 40.349581
UZS 11822.340881
VES 771.57685
VND 26177
VUV 118.338592
WST 2.726312
XAF 566.740682
XAG 0.015674
XAU 0.00023
XCD 2.70255
XCG 1.802598
XDR 0.707052
XOF 566.75782
XPF 103.042635
YER 237.125047
ZAR 16.266201
ZMK 9001.202368
ZMW 18.677991
ZWL 321.999592
- ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies at age 77
- UN atomic watchdog says found tons of nuclear material at Syria site
- Bayern's Musiala reveals 'neurological disorder' after on-field collapse
- Ecuadoran diplomat enters race to be next UN chief
- Angelique Kidjo immortalised on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Firefighters in 'crucial' push to encircle Belgian wildfire
- US sanctions ICC chief Tomoko Akane of Japan
- France to expel two Iranian diplomats: foreign minister
- US moves to open vast tracts of pristine forests to logging
- Spain's Granada closes iconic Alhambra as new quake hits
'Our pool is bigger than skyscrapers': Amid war, Trump touts Washington projects
As the ceasefire with Iran teeters and his Republican Party faces dire risks over the war's costs, US President Donald Trump made sure the press assembled Wednesday in the Oval Office knew what was on his mind: renovating the historic Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
During his first public appearance in days, the 79-year-old leader kicked off an executive order signing ceremony with discussion of the Reflecting Pool refurbishment, which has shut down one of the US capital's most popular tourist attractions.
"It was opened in 1922 and it always leaked," complained the former real estate developer.
Rarely more animated than while discussing construction or renovations, Trump praised the "very special material" used to renovate the pool, due to reopen before the July 4 holiday, which will also mark the 250th anniversary of US independence.
The reflecting pool project has faced scrutiny over its cost and the process by which the contract was awarded.
Using a chart titled "Our Pool is Bigger than Skyscrapers," Trump compared the scale of the pool with the height of three famous buildings, including New York's Empire State Building.
- Martin Luther King Jr. -
Trump also mentioned the famous 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech by civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., spoken to an audience at the National Mall, where the reflecting pool is located.
The former reality TV host could not help but compare himself to the late reverend King.
"That's where Martin Luther King made his great speech," Trump said.
"The million people, I had the same amount of people."
US media said Trump was alluding to his address on the National Mall given on January 6, 2021, after which thousands of his supporters stormed the US Capitol building to contest the result of the 2020 presidential election.
"You put the picture side by side, which we have, and they said I had 25,000 (people), he had a million," Trump said, adding that his crowd was "tighter."
The National Constitution Center said King's "I Have a Dream" speech drew a crowd closer to 250,000, while no official estimates are available for the January 6 rally.
Trump has frequently been criticized for inflating numbers, like when he claimed his 2017 inauguration drew a larger crowd than former president Barack Obama did in 2009.
After the reflecting pool tangent, Trump signed executive orders on US customs and protections for civil servants.
He eventually answered questions about the Iran war when taking questions from reporters, in which he said negotiations could yield results "over the weekend."
M.Delgado--TFWP
