Trump Declares 0.5-Mile Reflecting Pool Reopened as Algae Follows Repainting
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 3
Trump Declares 0.5-Mile Reflecting Pool Reopened as Algae Follows Repainting
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 3
Summary
Trump said the half-mile Reflecting Pool was "now in full use" after an early-June algae outbreak followed his order to drain it, repaint it "American flag blue" and refill it.
Experts cited "new pond" syndrome in the shallow, sun-exposed basin, while the hydrogen peroxide added by park employees to kill algae was also blamed for worsening conditions; Trump instead accused "Radical Left Vandals."
By Monday, a chain-link fence with roughly a 100-yard buffer surrounded the site, leaving the pool largely out of public view despite the reopening claim.
The episode turned the Lincoln Memorial landmark into a political flashpoint, with peeling paint and green water fueling criticism of the project and Trump's handling of it.