National Guard members and U.S. Park Police are patrolling the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as the Trump administration works to fix a renovation project now marked by green water, peeling liner and questions over cost.
The $14 million-plus project was meant to clean up one of the National Mall’s most visible sites before events tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary. President Donald Trump said the new coating, which he selected, was intended to give the pool an “American flag blue” look.
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Instead, algae turned the water green within weeks of Trump saying the work was complete. The Associated Press reported that pieces of the new liner have also been seen floating in the pool. Contractors and federal workers have used chemicals and ozone nanobubbles to fight the algae.
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 claims vandals to blame
The president told reporters that vandals cut what he described as a 350-foot slit in the pool. “They cut it, they cut it very violently,” Trump said. He also suggested someone may have put fertilizer in the water to create algae.
Asked for proof, Trump said, “You’ll see it in court.”
U.S. Park Police said five people had been arrested for vandalism related to the pool and five others had received federal citations.
Suing the media
Trump is also 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, 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 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.
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