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As the $13.1 million restoration nears completion amid preservation criticism, President Trump shared an AI video of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool filled with liberal tears related to the 2017 meme.
As the $13.1 million restoration nears completion amid preservation criticism, President Trump shared an AI video of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool filled with liberal tears related to the 2017 meme. (Image: ×)
US President Donald Trump has shared an AI-generated video on Truth Social depicting the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial filling with the tears of weeping people, reviving a viral meme that debuted at his first inauguration in 2017.
The video shows President Trump smiling as he holds a hose pouring water onto famous landmarks in Washington, D.C. Next to him, a figure in a diving helmet can be seen kneeling, tears streaming into the device, giving the impression that the reflecting pool is filled with what Trump supporters often refer to as “liberal tears.”
The clip references a widely circulated video from Trump’s 2017 inauguration. In the original footage, a clearly distressed participant yells “No!” “I’m really sorry to the world. This is not what we want,” Trump said shortly after taking office.
🚨 LOL!! President Trump dropped this absolute gem. He’s filling the reflecting pool at the new and improved Lincoln Memorial with left-wing tears. Straight from the source 🤣🤣
📽️ @RicanMemes pic.twitter.com/NJrOdFR750
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 4, 2026
The emotional reaction quickly became a viral meme among Trump supporters, and it continued to circulate online for nearly a decade. The original video reportedly racked up millions of views, and screenshots and edited versions have repeatedly resurfaced on social media.
Following President Trump’s latest post, his supporters shared additional AI-generated memes based on the same theme. One video showed Trump shedding a truckload of “liberal tears” into a reflecting pool, while another showed him dressed as TV painter Bob Ross with the caption, “And now we can add Happy Little Tears.”
President Trump shared the video as work nears completion on a major restoration project at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
In an accompanying post, President Trump wrote, “We are happy to say that the final protective coat of the Reflecting Pool will be completed. Water will begin flowing shortly thereafter.”
The renovation project reportedly cost $13.1 million and was partially funded by National Park Service visitor fees collected at parks across the country.
However, the renovation work has also been criticized. Conservation groups such as the Cultural Landscape Foundation argue that some changes made during the restoration could alter the historic character of the iconic monument.
The AI-generated video is the latest in a series of digitally generated images and clips that President Trump has shared on social media, reflecting the growing role of artificial intelligence-generated content in modern political messaging and online campaigning.
Washington DC, United States (USA)
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