Washington Reflecting Pool now under surveillance as Trump blames vandals for green algae
The U.S. security apparatus is keeping watch at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, whose blue color has been fouled by green algae after being newly
The U.S. security apparatus is keeping watch at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, whose blue color has been fouled by green algae after being newly renovated at President Donald Trump’s request. Guard troops patrol the area around the roughly 2,000-foot-long (610-meter) basin on Washington’s Mall in groups of threes and fours. Solar-powered light towers illuminate the area at night and roughly a half-dozen mobile security stations outfitted with surveillance cameras ring the perimeter. The stepped-up security measures follow a $14.7 million refurbishment of the Reflecting Pool. Mr. Trump has blamed dark-of-night saboteurs for the issues with the project. While no evidence has emerged to support Mr. Trump’s claim that a vandal cut a 350-foot (107-meter) gash in the pool, a Park Service official said in a sworn court statement late on Wednesday (June 24, 2026) that on June 9, U.S. Park Police examined apparent intentional damage to the pool. The damage included “a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material,” Frank Lands wrote in the statement, which was submitted as part of the Mr. Trump administration’s response to a lawsuit challenging the renovation of the pool. About 70 fence post tops were also thrown into the pool, according to Lands.
The increased security presence unnerved Mary Jane Willard, a tourist from Seattle, Washington. “It’s very sad to come here and see all the fences, to see all the Guard here, to see all the cameras,” Mr. Willard said on Wednesday (June 24, 2026). “It just shouldn’t be here.” Three weeks ago, the Trump administration declared victory in completing work to repaint the landmark pool, which stretches from the Lincoln Memorial nearly to the Washington Monument. The color was “American flag blue” for the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence on July 4. In the days since, the pool has been beset by problems, including blooms of algae, a long-running scourge that has tinted the water a vibrant green, and chips of blue liner peeling off the bottom. Days before the Mall will host U.S. 250th anniversary celebrations, the Reflecting Pool has become the latest symbol of Mr. Trump’s Washington: a test of his attempts to bend reality in his favor and command law enforcement to his personal whims. Few details on vandalism arrests Trump has shown a personal interest in the Reflecting Pool project, one of a series of ways he has sought to put his stamp on Washington’s monumental core. Pressed on the lack of evidence to support his allegations of vandalism, Mr. Trump told reporters on Monday (June 22, 2026), “at the right time, you’ll see it.
The BriefWire