The national mall is no place for a swamp, Donald Trump might say. But last week, the Reflecting Pool looked more like a stagnant pond. Algae. Green slime. A metaphor for Washington itself.
So the President ordered immediate repairs. No tenders. No environmental impact assessments. Just a phone call, and the bulldozers rolled in.
Whitehall is watching with raised eyebrows. The cost? Estimated at £2.3 million. But without a proper bidding process, British experts ask: who is pocketing the difference?
"It's a political statement, not a restoration," a former Cabinet Office mandarin told me. "He wants a clean pool for the cameras. But we all know what happens when you cut corners."
The PM's office has been cautious. Downing Street said only that they "would not comment on internal US matters." But behind the scenes, officials are concerned. The precedent. The lack of transparency. The sheer cost.
A source in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport admitted: "We've got ponds in St James's Park that need cleaning too. But we don't have an extra £2.3 million lying around."
The truth is, this is not about algae. It's about power. Trump wants to show he can make things happen. Fast. Efficiently. Without bureaucratic nonsense.
But the British know that speed often comes at a price. And in this case, the price is written in taxpayer pounds.
The repair work is expected to take three weeks. By then, the pool will be pristine. But the questions will linger.
Who got the contract? Why no competitive tender? And what does this say about the health of the special relationship?
In the Lobby, we call it a 'distraction job.' Something to make the President look busy while other fires burn. The trade deal with the UK is stalled. The Iran nuclear deal is on ice. But hey, look: a clean pool.
The British aren't fooled. They've seen this game before. A shiny object to divert attention. But the algae will return. It always does.
