Algae, peeling blue material, conspiracy theories: Reflecting Pool takes national spotlight
By Kaanita Iyer, CNN
(CNN) — Earlier this year, President Donald Trump described the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as “absolutely filthy,” vowing to clean up the iconic landmark and make it “look gorgeous, beautiful” so it again reflects the federal monuments around it.
The $14 million renovation became a pet project for the president, symbolizing his efforts to beautify Washington, DC, with architectural changes that have also included building a White House ballroom and refurbishing run-down fountains in the nation’s capital ahead of the America 250 celebrations.
But with July 4 fast approaching, the pool that sits near the feet of Abraham Lincoln’s statue has instead come to reflect the deep divisions over those beautification efforts — and Trump’s presidency itself — after the renovation project has been set back by a persistent algae problem and the peeling of a blue material from the repainted bottom of the pool.
Trump on Friday echoed claims that have surfaced in right-wing circles that the pool’s problems are a result of vandalism, and linked it to the etching of “8647” into the grass on the National Mall days prior, adding that law enforcement is investigating.
“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, without citing evidence. “The algae is 75% gone, and the condition will soon be completely remedied, and the area that was vandalized, fortunately, is just a small area of damage, and will be fixed early next week.”
Tourists and local residents alike have flocked to the site in recent days, shooting videos of the murky green water for social media posts that feature either a condemnation of Trump’s presidency or a passionate defense of the effort to clean up DC. Some peeled off strips of the blue material to take as souvenirs. Others filmed federal workers pouring bottles of hydrogen peroxide into the water.
On Saturday morning, some visitors stopped by the landmark on their jog, as they bicycled or as part of their overall trip to the nation’s capital. Several of them took photos and videos of the pool, focusing in on the algae, while others loudly expressed their frustrations with the state of the pool as they passed by. On the algae at the bottom of the pool were a few tracings, including a smiley face. Meanwhile, federal employees worked on clean up efforts, vacuuming the algae with big hoses.
“You can’t make this up: after railing about waste, fraud, and abuse, the Trump Administration spent $14 million on a reflecting pool reno that’s now peeling and chock full of algae,” Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said in a post on X. “I’m pressing to get answers for this embarrassing waste of resources.”
The Interior Department has dismissed the visible signs of algae that have only become more abundant as DC’s warm, muggy weather fosters its growth.
In a post on X Wednesday, the department’s press office touted its efforts to clear out the algae and described the water as being “crystal clear.”
CNN has reached out to the Interior Department for comment and additional details on the clean up efforts.
For now, what was meant to be a straightforward task to return the century-old pool to its intended glory has become a spectacle, drawing tourists to the shallow pool of water for the wrong reason.
Trump set out to accomplish the renovation that has eluded previous presidents in late March. In a post on Truth Social, he criticized the Biden administration for not taking on the project after a $34 million reconstruction effort under President Barack Obama proved to be unsuccessful.
In the weeks that followed, Trump expanded the scope of the project and ordered cosmetic changes, including painting the bottom of the pool a shade of blue that resembles the American flag’s blue field. The paint change immediately trigged a lawsuit from a nonprofit group, which argued that the project violates federal laws requiring the Interior Department to complete a consultation process that includes notifying the public of the plans and getting input from other federal agencies before beginning the work.
The president also wanted the project to be complete before July 4, an expedited timeline which the administration acknowledged drove up the total cost — nearly seven times as much as the initial estimate of $1.8 million.
Trump made a visit to the site to survey progress, and weeks before it was complete, he began celebrating by posting an AI-generated image to Truth Social of him and some of his Cabinet members smiling while floating in the pool.
But just a day after the reservoir was filled with water, there was already quite a bit of algae visible from the water’s edge.
The Interior Department told CNN at the time that the algae is “residual” and a normal part of the early process of restarting water flow.
However, within days, clumps of algae took over the pool, prompting the administration to send in workers to vacuum it out, install a filtration known as the “ozone nanobubbler” and dump in gallons of hydrogen peroxide.
To make matters worse for the Trump administration, earlier this week, blue material at the bottom of pool began peeling off. It is unclear if the material is paint or sealant or what caused it to come up.
Democrats online were quick to gloat.
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said in a post on X, “Surprise, surprise – the corrupt sweetheart deal for one of Trump’s buddies ended in disaster.” He appeared to refer to The New York Times’ reporting that the Trump administration gave a no-bid contract to an Ohio firm with ties to a Trump ally.
Former Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz also weighed in.
“Found an imaginary problem, said only they could fix it, didn’t listen to experts, hired buddies who grifted millions, failed miserably, bragged how great it went. The entire Trump presidency in a nutshell,” Walz said in a post on X.
Beyond lawmakers, the ongoing pool saga has prompted an online debate, filled with false claims and conspiracy theories.
Left-leaning social media users latched on to a clip of a Fox News personality defending the renovation, incorrectly claiming that he was describing the visibly green water as blue. (He was referring to the pool’s bottom.)
Meanwhile, on the right, conservative media personality Grant Stinchfield alleged that the excessive algae is a product of liberal “sabotage.”
“Is it nefarious? I tend to think so,” Stinchfield told his online viewers from outside the Reflecting Pool. “You wouldn’t have so much algae that you see in here, you would not have that, that quickly, unless somebody did something.”
A video posted by conservative influencer Nick Sortor on Thursday night has also garnered attention. The video appeared to show “8647” traced into the algae at the bottom of the pool. CNN could not independently see that tracing on Saturday.
Outside the pool, a collection of curiosity seekers and social media influencers have also gathered. One woman showed up with a banner painted with a green “Algae,” chanting “Algae’s smarter than MAGA.” An independent journalist showed up to report on the purported theft of the blue material, claiming US Park Police arrested someone in the act. CNN has reached out to Park Police to ask about any arrests.
Meanwhile, visitors with no apparent stake in the debate have flocked to see just how green the pool is for themselves.
Matthew Weimer of California, who was in Washington, DC, to visit friends, applauded the renovation.
“I think it’s pretty great that somebody cared enough to do something about it,” Weimer said. When asked about the criticisms the pool is facing, he said: “The people who are criticizing, what are they doing to make things better?”
Qayla Sykes, who visited from Connecticut for a bachelorette party, made a quick stop at the National Mall to take in the spectacle.
“It looks pretty gross. I’ve taken about like 20 pictures already, especially of the people cleaning it, because I don’t know if I’ll ever see this again in my lifetime,” she said. “Hopefully not.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Sunlen Serfaty, Kit Maher, Dugald McConnell, Abigail Roedersheimer, Michael Williams, Devan Cole, Tom Foreman, Ben Krolowitz, Betsy Klein and Kristen Holmes contributed to this report.
