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Trump team have questionable response to newly refurbished Reflecting Pool turning green
Home>News>US News
Updated 11:06 17 Jun 2026 GMT+1Published 11:02 17 Jun 2026 GMT+1

Trump team have questionable response to newly refurbished Reflecting Pool turning green

Trump initially said the restoration would cost $2m, but costs have spiraled to $14m

Thomas Bamford

Thomas Bamford

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Featured Image Credit: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Topics: Donald Trump

Thomas Bamford
Thomas Bamford

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Donald Trump appears to have found a solution for getting the Reflecting Pool back into tip-top shape.

One of his big campaigns has been to get the 2,000 foot body of water back looking back to its best, and has repeatedly taken potshots at predecessors Biden and Obama's treatment of the waterway.

His administration has spent an eye-watering $14 million on refurbishing it to ‘American Flag Blue’ colorway, only for it to go green shortly afterwards.

Photographers at the Reflecting Pool saw crews unloading hundreds of bottled full of 12% hydrogen peroxide, otherwise known as bleach. They would later dump them into the water.

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Trump has made it a big campaign policy to get the Reflecting Pool back to 'American Flag Blue' (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Trump has made it a big campaign policy to get the Reflecting Pool back to 'American Flag Blue' (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

CDC warn that the bleach could cause chemical burns upon skin contact, and respiratory issues if it’s inhaled.

At high concentrations, hydrogen peroxide may also pose a risk to wildlife, including ducks that are often seen splashing around in the pool.

Residents have expressed their shock at the algae ridden pool, according to the Daily Beast. One said “I think it’s a mess. I’ve never seen it this green before,” adding,” I was expecting green, but it’s a little greener than I thought it would be.”

Trump’s administration completed the million-dollar restoration project just days earlier, as workers with large paint rollers were seen working away while the pool was drained. Trump initially claimed the cost of the restoration would be about $2m, but costs have skyrocketed up to $14m.

Despite initially hailing the refurbishment as a huge success, visitors and photographers were quick to raise their concerns over the weekend, as the water had turned a distinct shade of green as algae began to accumulate.

On Monday, Park Service workers were seen wading into the pool and clearing out clumps of green growth.

The Reflecting Pool has turned green after a $14m refurbishment finished last week (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The Reflecting Pool has turned green after a $14m refurbishment finished last week (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

"We are deploying high-tech nanobubble ozone technology"

A government spokesperson took a swipe at Trump’s predecessors while stating that the algae is being handled.

“Unlike under Obama and Biden, the National Park Service is actually maintaining the beautifully completed Reflecting Pool,” the spokesperson told The Independent.

“To keep the water in the Reflecting Pool not only crystal clear but also clean, we are deploying high-tech nanobubble ozone technology. This technology is actively killing algae, pathogens (e.g., E. coli), and contaminants that have long plagued the Reflecting Pool since 1922, most infamously, the Obama pool reopening that resulted in massive algae clumps taking over the pool’s surface following years of construction that cost taxpayers millions upon millions, only to be broken and disgusting days later.”

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