Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Jun 18, 2026 6:05 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 18

The paint on Washington's newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting ‌Pool was peeling away from the bottom and into the algae-tinted water Thursday, less than two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the work was complete.

The historic pool was drained and refinished this year through a $14.7-million US no-bid contract as part of Trump's sweeping plans ​to remake the U.S. capital city. Those plans include tearing down the East Wing of the White House to make space for a new ballroom and ​building a massive arch near Arlington National Cemetery, which honours the ⁠nation's war dead and ⁠other prominent Americans.

The historic reflecting pool was drained and refinished through a $14.7-million US no-bid contract. (Annabelle Gordon/Reuters)

Trump announced on June 6 ‌that work on the pool had finished. By Tuesday, workers had started pouring hydrogen peroxide into the pool to combat an algae bloom that had turned it green, instead of the expected dark blue.

The U.S. National Park Service, which ⁠operates the National Mall, where the pool is located, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the Virginia-based company that carried out the renovations, also did not ‌immediately respond.

WATCH | The scramble to clean up algae in Washington's newly repaired reflecting pool:

Some visitors to the site said they were unimpressed.

"I want my money back after seeing this. I think our resources could be used a lot better elsewhere," Robert Dale of Edwards, Colorado, told Reuters as he looked ​on. "I think this reflecting pool was beautiful before, before all this attention."

Green water is seen being pumped out of the reflecting pool through a hose as workers sought to clean algae from the water on Thursday. (Rahmat Gul/The Associated Press)

Trump has faced criticism for speeding past planning processes meant ⁠to preserve Washington's carefully designed appearance as part of his renovation program. His administration has ⁠dismissed that criticism as partisan sniping while praising the real estate developer's design acumen.

Lawmakers have also ⁠raised ⁠questions about his decision to accept ​a $400-million US airplane from Qatar to be put into service as Air Force One, which ​ferries the president, his ⁠staff, security detail and journalists on his travels around the U.S. and around the world.

Security experts have warned that retrofitting the plane would require extensive security upgrades, communications improvements to prevent eavesdropping and missile-defence capabilities, all of which would take time and money to install.

A section of paint that peeled off the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is seen in the water on Thursday. (Annabelle Gordon/Reuters)