Topline
Chunks of peeled blue paint were spotted inside the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, just days after President Donald Trump’s recent $14.2 million renovations were carried out, including a demand by the president to paint the bottom of the pool “American Flag Blue” color.
Seen through algae-laden green water, a tear in the recently applied sealant can be seen on the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
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Key Facts
Photos and videos showed dark blue flaps both at the bottom of the pool and floating on the surface, even as the National Park Service battled to get rid of algae, which has reappeared, turning the pool green.
It is unclear what is causing the blue coat of paint to peel off the bottom of the pool, but it came a few days after National Park workers poured containers of 12% hydrogen peroxide into the pool to get rid of the green algae, which has reappeared.
Trump officials blamed past presidential administrations for the algal bloom—echoing the president’s criticism—but it’s unclear why the renovation process failed to address it.
Aerial shots of the pool shared by ABC News showed the extent of the algae bloom, with edges of the pool appearing dark blue while the center looked green.
The president himself has not yet commented on either the return of the algae or the peeling paint, but last week on Truth Social, he shared several news articles praising the pool’s renovation.
Tangent
The New York Times reported late on Thursday that a business owned by a longtime Trump supporter and key donor, John J. Cafaro, was given a no-bid $1.7 million contract to install a water-purification system in the reflecting pool. An Interior Department spokesperson told the Times that Cafaro’s Ohio-based firm, Greenwater Services, has set up temporary water-purification sites at the pool and will install a permanent system this week. The official also denied knowledge of Cafaro’s political links and said his firm was picked “because they had the expertise, workforce and materials.”
National Park Service employees and contractors use vacuums to remove green algae from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
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Seen through algae-laden green water, a tear in the recently applied sealant can be seen on the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Getty Images