National Guard members and U.S. Park Police are patrolling the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as the Trump administration tries to stabilize a renovation project now marred by green water, peeling liner, and mounting disputes over cost and blame.
By morning, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool looked like a problem that had outgrown the construction site.
National Guard members and U.S. Park Police began patrolling the area as the Trump administration works to fix a renovation project that is now marked by green water, peeling liner, and escalating questions about cost.
The work was originally framed as a cleanup of one of the National Mall’s most visible sites ahead of events tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary. President Donald Trump said the new coating he selected was meant to give the pool an “American flag blue” look.
Instead, algae turned the water green within weeks of Trump saying the work was complete. The project—described as $14 million-plus—has become a flashpoint for what went wrong. Pieces of the new liner have also been seen floating in the pool, the Associated Press reported. Contractors and federal workers have used chemicals and ozone nanobubbles to fight the algae.
Behind the scenes, the White House says damaged areas are still being assessed. Trump has said the pool will likely need to be drained again for liner repairs.
Trump’s account quickly turned to sabotage. Speaking to reporters, he said vandals cut what he described as a 350-foot slit in the pool—“They cut it, they cut it very violently,” he said. He also suggested someone may have put fertilizer in the water to create algae.
When pressed for proof, Trump said, “You’ll see it in court.”
U.S. Park Police offered a more concrete enforcement trail: five people had been arrested for vandalism related to the pool and five others had received federal citations.
The fight over the Reflecting Pool has also moved into the courts before any case is clearly defined. Trump is threatening lawsuits against ABC over its reporting on the project’s cost.
CNBC reported that ABC said the repainting cost rose to more than $14.65 million, along with another $1.74 million contract for a nanobubble system to fight algae. Trump accused ABC of false reporting and said the network failed to include costs from earlier administrations.
“We are preparing lawsuits against ABC for false reporting,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, according to CNBC. “I like their money, which will be given to the U.S. Treasury.”
CNBC reported that Trump did not provide evidence for his claim that the Obama and Biden administrations spent more than $100 million on the Reflecting Pool. The outlet also reported that PBS previously said the Obama administration spent about $35 million on repairs. and that no major Reflecting Pool repairs are known to have been carried out during the Biden administration.
Even as patrols and chemical treatments continue, the dispute has sharpened into two simultaneous battles: whether the damage is best explained by vandalism, and whether the public has been told a complete and accurate accounting of what the renovation has cost—so far, and across administrations.
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool National Guard patrols U.S. Park Police Trump administration renovation project algae ozone nanobubbles vandalism arrests Truth Social ABC lawsuits cost dispute
So they just patrol a pool now? Wild.
I swear every “renovation” turns into a disaster. First it’s algae, then liner floating around, then suddenly sabotage? Sounds like someone rushed it just to get photo ops.
Trump said it was vandals cutting a slit but then they’re also saying chemicals and ozone bubbles?? Like which is it, sabotage or bad setup? Also “American flag blue” is a choice… blue algae is still algae lol. Either way if people cut a 350-foot slit why didn’t they catch that on day one.
Green water already sounds like they used the wrong dye/coating or something, not “fertilizer.” And now National Guard patrols like the Reflecting Pool is some active crime scene. Next thing you know they’ll blame the HOA or weather or whatever. Draining it again seems like they’re basically restarting the whole thing.