America@250 swathed in red, white, and blue — and green algae
What began as US President Donald Trump's ambitious $14 million effort to beautify one of the nation’s most iconic landmarks ahead of America's 250th birthday
What began as US President Donald Trump's ambitious $14 million effort to beautify one of the nation’s most iconic landmarks ahead of America's 250th birthday has rapidly transformed into a spectacle. TOI Correspondent from Washington The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in the US capital was designed to mirror America's greatness. Instead, it is currently redolent of an expensive middle-school science experiment that has gone spectacularly wrong.What began as US President Donald Trump's ambitious $14 million effort to beautify one of the nation’s most iconic landmarks ahead of America's 250th birthday has rapidly transformed into a spectacle — and a controversy — that combines chemistry, biology, politics, social media mockery and a federal infrastructure project gone rogue.The president's vision was straightforward enough. The historic and often neglected body of water, stretching between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, would receive a patriotic makeover featuring a deep "American Flag Blue" coating intended to create a more dramatic mirror effect. Instead, within days of the makeover, the pool developed a vivid green algae bloom that made the restored monument look less like a shrine to democracy and more like a resort for amphibians.Social media, naturally, has responded with the maturity and restraint for which it is famous.
One viral post described the pool as "a giant vat of guacamole guarded by Abraham Lincoln," while another suggested renaming it "Lake MAGA Verde."A photoshopped image showed Lincoln staring solemnly across the green water beneath the caption: "Four score and seven algae blooms ago." Another featured a giant aquarium filter installed beside the monument under the slogan: "Make America Chlorinated Again. "The Trump administration's explanation initially centred on technical factors and unexpected environmental conditions. Critics pointed to a simpler theory routinely taught in science classrooms: dark surfaces absorb heat. As one engineer dryly noted online, the project appeared to have discovered — at taxpayer expense — that the darker coating warmed the water, creating ideal conditions for algae growth. Allegations flew about sketchy Trump buddies having won no-bid contracts for the job.To combat the bloom, workers were then observed pouring hydrogen peroxide into the seven-million-gallon basin, generating a second round of amusement, with comedians swooping down on the fiasco like seagulls on an abandoned beach picnic. Jimmy Kimmel joked that Trump “promised to drain the swamp…Instead, he spent $14 million building a new one," while noting, "They’ve got workers out there dumping gallons of hydrogen peroxide in there—which is also how he colours his hair, by the way.
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