In Washington, Trump's plan to repaint an iconic pool is dividing tourists

"The American president is sticking his nose into everything he can," fumes this young woman from the neighboring state of Virginia, who declined to give her last name. "He's so narcissistic."

For the 250th anniversary, on July 4th, of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, the Republican ordered that this basin, built in the early 1920s between the Washington Monument obelisk and the famous Lincoln statue, be repainted in "American flag blue".

The construction project, which has already begun, has transformed this symbol of national unity into a new source of division in Trump's America.

While the president's detractors denounce corruption and megalomania, his supporters praise a leader who is "restoring order" to America.

The 79-year-old former real estate developer seems obsessed with this new project, which adds to a series of controversial renovations in the American capital.

Since returning to power a year ago, he has notably had an entire wing of the White House bulldozed to build a ballroom.

The White House also unveiled a monumental project for an "Arc de Triomphe of the United States", which is expected to rise to more than 76 m, higher than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris (50 m high).

Builder

The president, who personally visited the site last week, says it was high time to renovate the pool.

"It was dirty, disgusting, and it had been leaking from everywhere for years," he said in a video from the White House.

His supporters claim to trust his experience as a builder, an image carefully cultivated to promote his desire to reshape both public buildings and the American economy and political life.

"He knows what he's doing with all the buildings he's built," says Elizabeth Miller of Pennsylvania, while visiting the Lincoln Memorial.

"He makes America proud by putting everything back in order," she adds.

Trump claimed to have rejected a $300 million, three-year project, preferring to use a pool contractor he knew, at a cost of $1,8 million.

"If it's cheaper, faster and just as effective, why waste taxpayer money?" asks Russ, a tourist from Arizona, who only gave his first name.

"Dictatorial approach"

But, according to the New York Times, the bill has already reached $13 million.

The newspaper also reports that the government awarded the contract without a call for tenders, contrary to the usual procedure, citing the urgency of completing the work before July 4, the date of the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Reacting to this information, Trump claimed not to know the contractor, thus appearing to contradict his previous statements.

This is cause for concern for Margaret Herro, who came from Wisconsin.

"I thought there was a procedure for restoring our national monuments, and I don't feel he followed it," she said. "It feels a bit like a dictatorial approach."

A cultural landscape protection organization has filed a lawsuit to halt the project, which it calls a "desecration".

But that did not stop the work.

Beyond the political and symbolic controversies, doubts are also emerging about the project's ability to restore the basin.

"This is not the right solution," said Obe, an engineer from Maryland, who only gave his first name.

"The drainage system needed to be repaired, not simply painted blue to make it look brighter."

Amid the tourists gathered Wednesday at the Lincoln Memorial, Gregory Scott, who came from Atlanta, summed up a question everyone was asking: "What's he going to do next?"