Algae thwarts Trump’s $14.2m attempt to turn reflecting pool ‘American flag blue’

Key Points:

• Donald Trump's $14.2 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool aimed to transform it from a "filthy" site to a "beautiful" monument but has been hindered by a resurgence of algae turning the water green again.
• The no-bid contract for the waterproofing and repainting was awarded to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based company with prior ties to Trump's golf clubs, raising concerns about the procurement process.
• The Department of the Interior introduced "nanobubbler technology" to combat the algae, claiming it has successfully eliminated the bloom that has historically affected the pool since 1922.
• Despite initial cost estimates of $1.8 million, the renovation's expense escalated to over $14 million, with National Park Service workers actively cleaning the pool to restore its intended "American flag blue" color.
• Trump defended the project as a long-lasting, sophisticated upgrade, asserting it would endure for 100 years, while administration officials criticized previous costly attempts by other presidents to maintain the reflecting pool.