Embarrassment for Trump as His $14M Reflecting Pool Turns Green Days After Debut — See the Shocking Photos
Donald Trump's passion project to renovate the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool has led to an outbreak of algae.
June 15 2026, Published 6:33 p.m. ET
Donald Trump's "American flag blue" reflecting pool has seemingly gone green, RadarOnline.com can report.
The president's prized multimillion dollar renovation to the long stretch of water between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument has already been overrun with algae – leaving many to wonder if the landmark will be back to blue in time for the nation's big 250th birthday celebration.
It's Not Easy Being Green
The green algae has tarnished the new coat of 'America's flag blue,' according to a livestream shared on X.
Just days after announcing the renovation was complete, the Washington D.C. attraction has completely changed colors.
The green goo has put a black eye on the pricey project, which President Trump touted as part of a broader effort to spruce up the nation's capital ahead of the U.S. 250th anniversary.
Crews worked for several weeks to resurface the century-old pool with a dark blue coating intended to improve its appearance and seal leaks.
The president had pledged the refurbishment would cost between $1.5million and $2million, but federal records show contracts ultimately reached roughly $14million.
Crews Working Hard to Fix
Crews have been working non-stop to clean the water before July 4.
Photos taken over the weekend show National Park Service employees working to clear the algae from the pool. But algae blooms in the water are not new, sprouting up especially in the summer, when heat, sunlight and stagnant conditions combine.
That's not good news for the nation's birthday party.
"The Fourth of July is probably the worst time of year because that's when the temperature is highest," Hans Paerl, Research Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told USA TODAY. "It’s Mother Nature that’s really running the show."
Still, Trump does not seem too concerned about the timing of the refill. An Interior Department spokesperson praised the progress, telling Politico, "President Donald J. Trump is an expert builder who has fixed the reflecting pool for good unlike the failed and extremely costly attempt by Obama and Biden."
It's Happened Before
The project took two months and cost over $14million.
The spokesman also said that the algae is simply "residual," after the water supply lines sat dormant for eight weeks during construction. The theory being that at least part of the bloom may be a routine post-renovation effect, which has been the case with previous updates.
In 2012, following a $34 million renovation, algae appeared within weeks of the pool reopening. Crews were forced to drain the water and clean it again as the water treatment system was recalibrated.
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Running Out of Options
Scientists are concerned with protecting ducks and other wildlife that drink the water.
Critics have claimed the dark paint tone was doomed from the start. Darker surfaces absorb more sunlight and heat than lighter ones, and the problem is only magnified in shallow water, like the reflecting pool, which can raise temperatures and increase the spread of algae growth.
"The darker an object the more light it absorbs and the warmer it gets," one expert said, explaining that this can create perfect conditions for algae to bloom.
To completely eliminate the algae, the pool would need to be drained, treated and refilled. But even after that, conditions could still be ripe for more algae to appear. And while some have contemplated treating the water with chemicals like chlorine, scientists fear those could affect animals like ducks drinking water from the pool.
