President Donald Trump says he’s preparing to drain the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool as the beautification project becomes the latest boondoggle to spin out of control for his administration.What started as the latest attempt by Trump to renovate a major Washington, D.C., landmark has evolved into a weeks-long problem for the White House. After the president elected to award a lucrative no-bid contract for the job to the designer of the swimming pool at one of his clubs, the bottom of the Reflecting Pool was spray-painted over with a reflective aqua-blue surface — large chunks of which are now peeling off and floating free in the algae-infested mess that has grown out of control in the pool.The scene has become something of a local attraction in D.C., with a handful of reporters camping out on site to get reactions from locals and tourists, and multiple people attempting to abscond with pieces of peeled-off paint as souvenirs. Meanwhile, National Park Service staff have been in the pond daily, dumping chemicals and attempting to stem the green tide quickly covering the pool’s surface. At least two people have been stopped by police for putting their hands in the water, according to various media reports, including a former US Olympian. U.S. Park Police has not officially released the number of people who have been cited or arrested for vandalism or other offenses related to the Reflecting Pool renovations, which have already cost $12 million more than the $2 million originally estimated for the project.On Sunday, President Donald Trump called for those people to face stiff penalties, hours after stating that he would “probably” drain the pool for the second time in as many months as the effort to clean up the pool continues.“The United States Park Police have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nations magnificent Reflecting Pool. Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail! Work will begin immediately on its repair,” wrote Trump on Truth Social.Work continues on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool - which President Donald Trump says will probably be drained for repairs (Reuters)He also posted on Saturday evening about the project: “We met with contractors today, will probably be forced to release and drain much of the water in order to do the necessary repairs, but will have them done as quickly as possible.”It’s not the first time a D.C. beautification project has consumed the president’s focus, and it comes as Trump is meeting at Camp David with advisers during a tumultuous time for his administration.Chunks of the pool’s new reflective coating have peeled off and floated to the surface in the Reflecting Pool (AP)On Wednesday, the president signed a deal to extend the ceasefire with Iran by 60 days, and the provisions of the agreement have sparked open revolt among Trump’s hawkish conservative allies on Capitol Hill and in establishment GOP circles. At the same time, the Senate is in chaos over Trump’s nomination of Bill Pulte, a political operative who led campaigns of vengeance against Democrats, to the position of director of national intelligence, leaving the renewal of key surveillance legislation in limbo.But Trump’s personal focus has often wavered to issues of lower significance to Americans: Efforts to improve the physical landscape of Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, including his work to construct a ballroom on the White House lawn and restore various parks and monuments around the city, many of which now host large banners thanking Trump for those efforts.At official White House events and even Cabinet meetings the president will frequently trail off to speak about the ballroom or other projects such as the Reflecting Pool.In early June, the Reflecting Pool was the subject of a particularly odd version of one of these rants as the president brought out a custom-made chart to show the size of the pool, which he did not construct, and boastingly comparing it to the height of the Empire State Building.