Trump's rushed, expensive makeover of the National Mall reflecting pool has fallen apart, a self-inflicted embarrassment that taxpayers will pay to fix.

• Trump spent $134 million on a no-bid contract to redo the reflecting pool, demanding it be finished by his birthday.
• The rush job backfired: algae bloomed, the blue sealant peeled off and floated up, and crews dumped bleach and hydrogen peroxide to clean it.
• Trump is blaming "vandals" and arrests, but the real cause is a rushed job done without experts.
• The mess became a national story only because Trump made a big show of the project; a 67-year-old former Olympian was arrested for touching the pool.
• The pool now has to be fully drained and repaired, with the National Guard deployed to guard it.

Outlook: The pool will be drained, exposing more broken sealant, and taxpayers will foot the repair bill.