Trump spends $14.2 million on Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool that turns green again

Donald Trump has spent $14.2 million on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, yet the water turned green again within days of the work finishing.

The reflecting pool has leaked and suffered algae blooms since it opened in 1922. A $34 million renovation in 2012 did not end the problems. Trump said he had built more than 100 swimming pools and promised to finish the job in two weeks. He repeated the timeline at events on May 7 and May 11.

A contractor hired through a no-bid contract painted the bottom American-flag blue and installed nanobubblers. The interior department posted on X that the technology had killed the algae and compared the cleanup to the destruction of the Iranian navy.

The Washington Post reported that the pool had more algae in late June than at any recorded point that month in at least five years. Peeling paint was also seen floating in the water.

Trump has described the algae as filthy and dirty. He said the reflecting pool would become a resort-like feature. The algae returned after the work ended.