Donald Trump has posted an update on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying the water is now “crystal clear” after algae overtook it following recent renovation work.
On July 5, the president shared a Truth Social post about the ongoing refurbishment at the well-known Washington, DC landmark, presenting the effort as nearly complete.
Earlier in the project, the pool was drained, resurfaced and refilled as part of a renovation directed by Trump, who had the bottom repainted in a darker shade of blue that he dubbed “American flag blue”.
Within days of the pool being refilled, crews were forced to treat an algae bloom with hydrogen peroxide, and the water later turned murky green again. Images circulating afterward also appeared to show sections of paint peeling from the bottom surface.
Officials later said the algae issue had been addressed with “advanced nanobubbler technology” and cleanup crews vacuumed dead algae from the bottom of the pool, but the controversy quickly shifted from water quality to whether the damage had been caused by vandals.
Trump has since used social media to suggest the expensive renovation is nearing completion, insisting the pool’s water is now “crystal clear”.
But it later became clear that the images Trump shared had first appeared on X on June 17, before the latest round of problems was visible and weeks before he posted them as fresh proof that the pool had been restored.
The pool is now being drained again after the Fourth of July celebrations, with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum saying the work includes removing fireworks debris left behind after the holiday display. That marks the second time in three months that the reflecting pool has been emptied.
According to Burgum, crews began draining the pool after the fireworks show, and the administration plans to keep using the same contractor for the next round of repairs.
“Drain the water. Clean up the fireworks stuff. Repair the vandalism that was done. Fill it back up again.”
In the posts, Trump pointed to an update from Interior Department official Gregory Wischer, who said the “advanced nanobubbler technology” used during the cleanup had “very effectively killed the algae that has plagued every Lincoln Reflecting Pool reopening”.
“The vacuuming is the final maintenance step after refilling the pool, and it will be complete in a few days.”
Wischer’s message also included a reference to the conflict in Iran, saying the remaining task was “vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom of some parts of the Reflecting Pool — just like the destroyed Iranian Navy resting on the bottom of the Persian Gulf.”
The reflecting pool has become an unexpectedly prominent issue for Trump, who previously described the algae problem as “criminally made”.
Trump and Burgum have also insisted that vandalism caused the damage, with Burgum saying authorities have proof and that the same company will handle the repairs rather than opening the work to new bids.