Trump says law enforcement is investigating ‘vandalism’ at reflecting pool
President Donald Trump blamed vandalism for problems following a $16 million pool renovation in a post on Truth Social.
The recent controversy over one of Washington, D.C.’s most photographed landmarks may not paint the country in a very good light, but it’s just another chapter in a long story.
According to historical records, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has been a contest of wills between humans and nature since its earliest days, but the modern-day controversy has intensified as President Donald Trump posts daily updates on Truth Social about the latest challenges to this iconic pool.
President Trump took issue with the pool earlier this year as his administration rushed to prepare for the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations in the nation’s capital.
But the renovations, authorized by a National Park Service contract in April, are just the latest in a series of repair, cleanup and improvement efforts that date back more than 50 years.
Within days of refilling the pool in early June, during a Washington, D.C., heatwave where temperatures reached 100 degrees, the water had turned green and clouded with algae. Pool experts, water experts, and federal websites report that warm water and sunlight tend to cause algae problems in ponds, pools, and fountains.
In a recent Truth Social post, President Trump blamed vandalism for problems that occurred after a $16 million renovation of the pool.
“We have cleaned, renovated, and beautified 45 monuments and monuments, 28 statues, and 22 fountains in Washington, D.C. Things are much better in our capital,” the Truth Social post said. “However, the beautiful reflecting pool between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial is experiencing serious problems due to vandalism.”
According to a 1923 article in The Military Engineer magazine, “many engineering problems” arose even when the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool were in their initial design stages.
Here you’ll find articles, reports, and events related to pool maintenance and construction over the past century.
1922 – The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated, according to the National Park Service’s copy of the history of the Lincoln Memorial. This web page no longer appears to be active, but is archived in the Internet Archive.
1923 – The reflecting pool has been completed.
1978 – The National Park Service reports that the pool is cleaned twice a year, and each cleaning removes 10 to 15 large truckloads of debris.
1981 – A complete rebuild has been carried out to address leakage and drainage, and “freestanding” construction methods have been introduced to maintain appearance.
1986 – An engineering report concludes that the pool’s structural system is failing.
July 2008 – The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, “Reflecting pools are stagnant and filled with mud. The thick layer of algae above the pools and ponds makes the smell especially hard to miss.”
December 2009 – The Park Service has issued a 209-page report on the pool, considering reconstruction alternatives for the pool, including the use of “proprietary biochemicals to reduce algae growth,” adding continuous water circulation to control algae buildup, or ozone filtration to control algae growth.
November 2010 – Construction begins on the pool renewal project, which is prone to leaks and has stagnant water that will require approximately 20 million to 30 million gallons of city water annually to refill.
September 2012 – Days after a $34 million restoration project was completed, the pool was filled with algae, USA TODAY and the Washington Post reported. When the renovation is complete, the company involved in the project writes that the newer, more sustainable pool will require less maintenance and will last another century.
June 2017 – The pool was drained to control a parasite outbreak that killed more than 80 ducks and ducklings, USA TODAY reported.
May 2019 – The Parks Department will begin draining the pool to repair the broken water pipe. This impaired circulation and led to water quality problems such as algae blooms and a green tint to the water.
April 3, 2026 – The Department of the Interior awards a $6.8 million no-bid contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings.
April 23, 2026 – President Trump announced the project, saying contractors would cover the pool in “Stars and Stripes Blue.”
May 8, 2026 – President Trump’s motorcade crosses an empty reflecting pool, the same day $6.2 million in additional construction costs were added to the original contract.
May 11, 2026 – The Cultural Landscape Foundation is suing the Trump administration over the color of its proposed pool surface.
June 4, 2026 – The president announced that water had started flowing back into the pool.
June 14, 2026 – We are starting to see reports of pool water turning green again due to algae blooms.
June 16, 2026 – Pool renovation costs rose to $16 million, including $14.2 to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, according to federal contract records. The $1.7 million contract from the National Park Service is listed with Green Water Solutions, a company with ties to longtime Trump supporter John Cafaro, who owns a home in Palm Beach, Florida, less than a mile from Mar-a-Lago, according to Florida public records.
June 19, 2026 – President Trump blames vandalism for problems at the reflecting pool renovation and announces that people are being arrested.
Contributed by: USA TODAY reporters Michelle Del Rey, Bert Jansen and Janine Santucci
Dinah Boyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, covers climate change, weather, the environment and other news. Contact dpulver@usatoday.com or @dinahvp on Bluesky or dinahvp.77 on X or Signal.
