“The Daily Show” called out Donald Trump for “escalating” the Reflecting Pool controversy after the president claimed vandals were causing the headline-making issues.
Host Josh Johnson dove straight into the drama surrounding the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which has been plagued with algae and pieces of paint floating in it since the Trump administration renovated it for an estimated $16 million.
“Ever since the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool turned bright green, which is a thing I just said like it’s totally normal, it’s become the first breakout hit of the summer,” Johnson noted before playing news footage of tourists visiting the scum-filled landmark. “Remember you wanted to go to Disneyland? Instead, we’re going to go see the world’s largest kombucha.”
He continued: “You know, everybody’s complaining about the pool, but they’re coming out to see it. I’m not saying it’s better this way. I’m just saying it seems to be pretty popular. This is how far America has fallen. The last time we collected this many people around the Reflecting Pool was for civil rights. People were like, ‘We must come out to support Dr. King.’ 60 years later, we’re like, ‘A slimy pool? This, I gotta see.’”
Johnson then defended that this was “a completely natural and expected development,” given the reflecting pool was given a darker bottom, which increased the water temperature and caused the algae. However, as the comedian highlighted, this didn’t stop the president from blaming foul play for the muck and other issues.
Specifically, Trump claimed that vandals had cut a “300-foot slit right through it,” which Johnson highlighted was something the president said would never happen back in May.
In the news footage, Trump is seen saying, “If you had a knife — I don’t want to give anybody ideas. If you had a knife, you can’t even cut it.”
“I’ve never seen someone have a line of logic so stupid, they reverse ‘Inception’ themselves,” Johnson said. “Me from before had the idea to never. I told myself it couldn’t be done. And then I forgot. That’s why it happened.”
While Johnson admitted that he was one of Trump’s biggest critics, he went out of his way to give the president some advice on the drama: “Donnie, let me help you out. You have got to chill. People are not shanking the pool at night.”
He then recommended that the president send Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the pool to fix the situation, adding, “He’ll be like, ‘Mm, looks like soup. Broccoli cheddar.’”
Johnson added that Trump shouldn’t be “escalating” the situation, before playing footage of increased police patrolling at the landmark.
“Dang. You’re treating the reflecting pool like Epstein drowned in it,” Johnson quipped. “Just imagine what Iran must be thinking right now. They turn on the TV like, ‘Where are the Americans plotting to send their forces? Damn. Are they even thinking about us?’”
Before wrapping up, Johnson joked that Trump “jinxed” the Reflecting Pool renovation with all his hype, noting, “Now I want to let him build the ballroom, just to see how bad it turns out. I bet it disintegrates at the first ‘Cha Cha Slide.’”
Watch Johnson’s full monologue above.
“The Daily Show” airs weeknights at 11 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.
