{"id":2132,"date":"2026-06-23T22:38:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T22:38:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=2132"},"modified":"2026-06-23T22:38:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T22:38:36","slug":"political-analyst-nails-why-the-unraveling-of-trumps-presidency-began-with-a-pool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=2132","title":{"rendered":"Political analyst nails why the unraveling of Trump\u2019s presidency began with a pool"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Political commentator David Rothkopf joked during the latest episode of the Daily Beast podcast that President Donald Trump has certainly managed to bring Americans flocking to see the Reflecting Pool. <\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s turned into a tourist attraction in downtown D.C. for people to hate on Trump, right? They come down, and they reflect on what a bad president they\u2019ve got,\u201d mocked Rothkopf, speaking to Joanna Coles. \u201cAnd then he\u2019s like, \u2018Holy mackerel, this is a mess. What are we going to do?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The solution, Rothkopf said, was to invent a conspiracy theory. Thus, the story of the mysterious vandals was born. According to Trump, five people have been arrested, and there are, he believes, five more who were involved somehow in putting a 250-350-foot gash in the liner installed in the Reflecting Pool. Trump promised reporters questioning the claim that the evidence of it would come out “in court.” <\/p>\n

\u201cI just inspected it, and could only say to myself, and those gathered around me, WOW, who would do such a thing?\u201d the president wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday. \u201cSICK, DERANGED PEOPLE! We will fix it?\u201d<\/p>\n

It’s part of the overall metaphor of Trump’s so-called beautification projects in Washington. <\/p>\n

\u201cWho defaced the Oval Office? Who destroyed the East Wing? Who put a giant claw on the South Lawn of the White House? Who is building a gilded ballroom for billionaires to dance in while Americans starve?\u201d Rothkopf asked. \u201cWho is building an arch to honor himself? Who\u2019s covering all the horse statues in Washington in gold leaf?\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe didn\u2019t do enough damage as the worst, most tasteless developer in America. Now he\u2019s taken it to another scale with tack,\u201d Rothkopf said.<\/p>\n

So, the disaster of the Reflecting Pool is a larger “metaphor for Trump,” he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a symbol of his vandalism, his failure, his inability to take responsibility for anything, his turning Washington into the grimiest, slimiest swamp of all time,\u201d Rothkopf explained. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality is, Trump screws up things all the time,\u201d he said, noting that the Reflecting Pool was \u201cfine\u201d before the 80-year-old president decided it needed a more than $14 million revamp.<\/p>\n

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