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BumRushDaShow

(173,712 posts) Sat Jun 20, 2026, 09:14 AM Jun 20

President Trump blames vandals amid Reflecting Pool algae bloom

Source: USA Today

Updated June 19, 2026, 11:48 p.m. ET

President Donald Trump defended his administration's beautification record in Washington, DC, despite the algae bloom in the recently overhauled reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial. In a Truth Social post on June 19, the president blamed vandals for the troubles that have cropped up after the $16 million renovation of the pool.

"We've cleaned, renovated, and beautified over 45 Monuments and Memorials, 28 Statues and 22 Fountains in Washington, D.C. Things are looking really good in our Nation's Capital," the Truth Social post stated. "However, we've had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool, which sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial."

"Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they've also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed," Trump added. "No different than the chemicals that were used on the National Mall, they used something similar in the reflecting pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work.". Trump's post stated the algae is "75% gone, and the condition will soon be completely remedied, and the area that was vandalized, fortunately, is just a small area of damage, and will be fixed early next week."

Algae blooms aren't new

Law enforcement is investigating, Trump confirmed. But historical records show algae has been a recurring issue in the pool for decades, possibly for much of its existence. After a $34 million renovation in 2012, the water turned into an "icky sea of algae" about a week after the pool was filled, USA TODAY previously reported. Workers were seen skimming the surface of the pool in the end nearest the World War II Memorial. Algae blooms have plagued "every pool reopening since 1922," according to a statement the Department of the Interior provided to USA TODAY.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/06/19/donald-trump-reflecting-pool-renovation-algae-bloom-paint/90625359007/

24 replies

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Highlight:

President Trump blames vandals amid Reflecting Pool algae bloom (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Jun 20 OP

Sure Jan...... Lovie777 Jun 20 #1

Vandals or terrorists... perhaps "Algae-zerra" or "Algae-Qa'ida" 🤣😂🤣😆 QueerDuck Jun 20 #12

Or Algae-TACO, perhaps??? Dem_in_Nebr. Jun 20 #16

😄👍 electric_blue68 Jun 21 #20

Are these vandals in the room with you now? twodogsbarking Jun 20 #2

Law enforcement should be investigating Trump and his henchmen. sop Jun 20 #4

Krasnov just needs to look in the mirror to see who the true vandal is Blues Heron Jun 20 #3

The exact quote is from an Interior Department spokesperson, who stated:"President Donald J. Trump is an expert builder twodogsbarking Jun 20 #5

The cause of the problem is always someone else according to those who ARE the cause of the problem Stargazer99 Jun 20 #6

Tarp time! Hugin Jun 20 #7

A shallow pool in a hot, humid environment for much of the year. paleotn Jun 20 #8

Plus it is more than seven acres in size. twodogsbarking Jun 20 #11

His base are ignorant and will probably believe this nonsense. ChicagoTeamster Jun 20 #9

Trillions and Trillions of tiny vandals ClaudetteCC Jun 20 #10

;-{) TOXIC RED TIDE Goonch Jun 20 #13

OMG. I just can't with him anymore. City Lights Jun 20 #14

Vandals, eh? lavoosh99 Jun 20 #15

What else was he going to say, he screwed up,blew $14M using a donor Bengus81 Jun 20 #17

Obama did it. Earth Bound Misfit Jun 20 #18

Aha! electric_blue68 Jun 21 #21

Who's he blame for Mrs.Trophy not sleeping in the same room,let alone the same bed Bengus81 Jun 20 #19

Why you know whose fault it is... Earth Bound Misfit Jun 21 #22

MaddowBlog-Scrambling to avoid blame for Reflecting Pool fiasco, Trump's defense turns farcical LetMyPeopleVote Tuesday #23

MS NOW-How Trump's reconstructed Reflecting Pool created a 'perfect' storm for algae LetMyPeopleVote 20 hrs ago #24

Lovie777

(24,553 posts)

1. Sure Jan......

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 09:15 AM

Jun 20

QueerDuck

(2,221 posts)

12. Vandals or terrorists... perhaps "Algae-zerra" or "Algae-Qa'ida" 🤣😂🤣😆

Reply to Lovie777 (Reply #1)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 10:01 AM

Jun 20

Last edited Sat Jun 20, 2026, 03:55 PM - Edit history (1)

Dem_in_Nebr.

(376 posts)

16. Or Algae-TACO, perhaps???

Reply to QueerDuck (Reply #12)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 03:58 PM

Jun 20

electric_blue68

(27,957 posts)

20. 😄👍

Reply to QueerDuck (Reply #12)

Sun Jun 21, 2026, 12:36 AM

Jun 21

twodogsbarking

(19,876 posts)

2. Are these vandals in the room with you now?

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 09:16 AM

Jun 20

sop

(19,922 posts)

4. Law enforcement should be investigating Trump and his henchmen.

Reply to twodogsbarking (Reply #2)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 09:21 AM

Jun 20

Blues Heron

(9,137 posts)

3. Krasnov just needs to look in the mirror to see who the true vandal is

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 09:16 AM

Jun 20

twodogsbarking

(19,876 posts)

5. The exact quote is from an Interior Department spokesperson, who stated:"President Donald J. Trump is an expert builder

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 09:23 AM

Jun 20

who has fixed the Reflecting Pool for good unlike the failed and extremely costly attempt by Obama and Biden."

Stargazer99

(3,606 posts)

6. The cause of the problem is always someone else according to those who ARE the cause of the problem

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 09:23 AM

Jun 20

Hugin

(38,112 posts)

7. Tarp time!

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 09:24 AM

Jun 20

Pathetic.

paleotn

(23,090 posts)

8. A shallow pool in a hot, humid environment for much of the year.

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 09:26 AM

Jun 20

What do you get? Algae blooms. Investigate away, you stupid, orange shit.

twodogsbarking

(19,876 posts)

11. Plus it is more than seven acres in size.

Reply to paleotn (Reply #8)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 09:39 AM

Jun 20

ChicagoTeamster

(1,482 posts)

9. His base are ignorant and will probably believe this nonsense.

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 09:34 AM

Jun 20

ClaudetteCC

(195 posts)

10. Trillions and Trillions of tiny vandals

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 09:36 AM

Jun 20

invading our precious fluids

Goonch

(6,006 posts)

13. ;-{) TOXIC RED TIDE

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 10:07 AM

Jun 20

City Lights

(26,179 posts)

14. OMG. I just can't with him anymore.

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 11:08 AM

Jun 20

I've run out of words to use to describe my feelings about him.

Yesterday the Department of Interior posted that the water was "crystal clear," and today Pedo claims vandals ruined his "lake."

lavoosh99

(64 posts)

15. Vandals, eh?

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 01:11 PM

Jun 20

Maybe it was Huns...or Visigoths...or other Barbarians.

Bengus81

(10,606 posts)

17. What else was he going to say, he screwed up,blew $14M using a donor

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 04:01 PM

Jun 20

that doesn't know shit about what to do instead of a real company??

Earth Bound Misfit

(3,601 posts)

18. Obama did it.

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 05:01 PM

Jun 20

electric_blue68

(27,957 posts)

21. Aha!

Reply to Earth Bound Misfit (Reply #18)

Sun Jun 21, 2026, 12:37 AM

Jun 21

Bengus81

(10,606 posts)

19. Who's he blame for Mrs.Trophy not sleeping in the same room,let alone the same bed

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Jun 20, 2026, 06:30 PM

Jun 20

for two decades? Hell for that matter not even the same building or STATE.

Earth Bound Misfit

(3,601 posts)

22. Why you know whose fault it is...

Reply to Bengus81 (Reply #19)

Sun Jun 21, 2026, 12:33 PM

Jun 21

LetMyPeopleVote

(184,160 posts)

23. MaddowBlog-Scrambling to avoid blame for Reflecting Pool fiasco, Trump's defense turns farcical

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Tue Jun 23, 2026, 11:09 AM

Tuesday

The debacle has become a metaphor of sorts, but not the one the president had in mind.

For Trump, the Reflecting Pool was supposed to be a totemic success story, demonstrating that his unique approach to problem-solving is fundamentally superior to his predecessorsâ€™.

This one project would serve as a metaphor for how awesome his awesomeness is.

Oops.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-06-23T13:15:51.138Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-reflecting-pool-fiasco-defense

There is a degree of irony surrounding Donald Trump’s Reflecting Pool fiasco. For months, the president obsessed over the renovation project, framing it as a metaphor for how awesome his awesomeness is: The Republican would tackle a lingering problem that vexed previous administrations, while delivering impressive results quickly and cheaply.....

With this in mind, the president came to realize in recent days that he needed an excuse — or preferably villains who could shoulder the blame for his own failures.

To that end, he began assuring the public over the weekend that he had succeeded beautifully, but that “vandals” intervened and ruined his triumph. At an unrelated White House event on Monday afternoon, the president went further, alleging nefarious criminals — some armed with “probably a box cutter or a knife of some kind” — attacked the Reflecting Pool with fertilizer and “did something to create the algae.”

The administration said five people were arrested on charges of vandalism, though without more information, it’s nearly impossible to say whether these people actually did anything wrong or whether they were charged as part of an inherently political exercise.

As is usually the case with Trump’s more outlandish claims, he has provided no evidence. At his Oval Office event on Monday afternoon, the president suggested the evidence exists, but he’s not yet prepared to share it.

Trump: I can't help it if somebody goes in with a knife and starts hacking it up. Uh... and we also have pictures of it.

Q: Can you release the photos?

Trump: At the right time you'll see it. You'll see it in court.
— FactPost (@factpostnews.bsky.social) 2026-06-22T20:41:36.507704516Z

......For good measure, the president also decided to whine about Barack Obama as part of the same clumsy presentation, though it wasn’t altogether clear why.

O'KEEFE: You said the guy was gonna do the reflecting poll in a week for about a million dollars. It's been two months and .5 million

TRUMP: Are you ready? Barack Hussein Obama
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-06-22T20:26:19.660Z

Indeed, one of the most amazing things about this story is the number of familiar boxes it checks. Trump fails to deliver on bold promises? Check. He relies on no-bid contracts and a rushed process that fell apart? Check. He concocts weird theories about his perceived enemies? Check. He desperately spins a fantastical tale with evolving details in the hopes of avoiding blame for his own failure? Check. His aligned prosecutors scramble to help justify his dubious claims with equally dubious charges? Check.

LetMyPeopleVote

(184,160 posts)

24. MS NOW-How Trump's reconstructed Reflecting Pool created a 'perfect' storm for algae

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sun Jun 28, 2026, 08:56 PM

20 hrs ago

For one thing, an ecologist explained, the president’s color choice “absorbs more light, more heat, and extra heat is a benefit for algae growth.”

How Trumpâ€™s reconstructed Reflecting Pool created a â€˜perfectâ€™ storm for algae
For one thing, an ecologist explained, the presidentâ€™s color choice â€œabsorbs more light, more heat, and extra heat is a benefit for algae growth.â€ www.ms.now/news/trump-r...
— US News Now - Worldâ€™s leading Liberal Voice (@democracyblue.bsky.social) 2026-06-28T14:01:31.440Z

https://www.ms.now/news/trump-reflecting-pool-algae-renovation

Dr. Peter May, an algae expert and ecologist at the University of Maryland, specifically pointed to three mistakes made by the administration during the overhaul: the color, the water and the season.

Trump inherited a Reflecting Pool last renovated by President Barack Obama in 2012, during which a light concrete material was used to line the base of the fountain. This allowed the fountain to reflect light and heat away from the water, May said. But once Trump directed the National Park Service to paint the pool a dark “American flag blue” — the highlight of his Washington makeover to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary — the temperature of the water rose.

“It absorbs more light, more heat, and extra heat is a benefit for algae growth,” May said, adding that this algal bloom will likely not be the last one we see this summer.

That is due in part to the water the park service filled the pool with, the same that comes from any sink in the city. May said the city’s tap water is high in both phosphorus and nitrogen, nutrients that are perfectly safe for people to drink, but also fuel algae growth. Add to that the summer heat — the renovation is set to be finished for America’s semiquincentennial on the Fourth of July — and the monument has quickly become an ideal incubator for the fast-growing flora. .....

The pool, like the White House ballroom, has become a visual symbol of the Trump administration’s wrecking ball to democratic norms. May says with current conditions and the blue hue, we could potentially expect a new bloom again.

“Well algae is great, it grows very fast and so a bloom happens overnight and or during the day because of photosynthesis,” May said of the organism’s unpredictable growth.

Only one thing is certain, he said: “The conditions are perfect for it right now. It could happen, and it could happen very quickly.”

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