Algae in the Reflecting Pool: Trump's Million-Dollar Renovation Proves Short-Lived Success

Trump's Remaking of Washington

The latest renovation is part of an entire series of construction projects through which the incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to leave his mark on the capital. According to reports, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is being remodeled, even though a court reportedly "recently banned" the addition of "The Donald J." to the name, according to one source. Near Arlington Cemetery, the U.S. national cemetery, a 250-foot, roughly 76-meter triumphal arch is also planned. The government justified the time pressure in each case with the upcoming celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States' independence on July 4.

The contract for the Reflecting Pool, worth around $7 million, was awarded, somewhat surprisingly, without a public tender to a construction firm from New Jersey. According to available reports, this firm had no experience with public contracts, but it did have experience building a swimming pool at one of the president's golf courses. Trump had repeatedly framed the project as a political symbolic act against his predecessors: he accused the Democrats of having tolerated the "disgusting" and "filthy" condition of the basin for years and spoke in this context of "Obama Era Filth."

From Light Blue to Flag Blue

Originally, Trump wanted the pool to shine in a bright swimming-pool blue. In the end, the president was persuaded on the color "American Flag Blue," a darker blue. As part of the renovation, the floor was given a dark blue coating, which he himself described as "American flag blue." The White House had celebrated after the work was completed on July 4, saying Washington "looks better than ever." But the reality looks different: just a few days after completion, algae turned parts of the basin green again.

What delights ducks enraged Trump ahead of the upcoming celebrations marking the 250th anniversary. Chinese tourist Farrah Lu, 43, summed up the situation laconically: "Oh well, I'll just use a filter to hide the algae." The tabloid press already headlined "Algae turns Trump's reflecting pool swamp green," deliberately picking up on the president's campaign slogan "Drain the Swamp," which now rebounds in an unwanted way on the prestige project.

Algae as Political Embarrassment

According to an analysis by the New York Times, the cause of the problem lies not in the surface or the new floor coating, but in the inflow. An interactive feature of the paper had already shown in advance that the water supply is the real concern. The bad news for the White House: according to observers, this cannot simply be fixed at "Trump Speed." Algal blooms, given the often hot and humid temperatures in the U.S. capital, have been a known problem since the basin opened in 1922.

The cost of the renovation came to $14.2 million according to press reports, the equivalent of roughly 12.3 million euros – nearly ten times what Trump himself had stated. A spokeswoman for the Department of the Interior nevertheless expressed gratitude, according to the New York Times: "We thank President Trump for fixing the Reflecting Pool once and for all." In an earlier statement, Trump had also hinted that the area might be renamed: "They want to call it the Trump Promenade," he said, though he did not yet know whether he wanted that too. Who "they" were, the president left open.

Nanobubbler Against Algal Bloom

Now a so-called "nanobubbler," also known as a nanobubble generator, is to provide a remedy. The device produces millions of tiny bubbles that transport oxygen into the water and are intended to prevent algal blooms. Whether this technology will be enough to keep the basin permanently shining in the dark blue desired by Trump remains to be seen in the coming weeks – just in time for the celebrations around July 4, for which street closures have already been announced, among other things for the IndyCar race "Freedom 250."

The incident also casts a spotlight on Trump's remodeling projects in the style of the "Trump Speed" he promotes. The U.S. capital, too, the American president wants to remodel according to his own ideas – and not at some point, but at "Trump Speed," meaning preferably immediately. The fact that a project like the Reflecting Pool, which the government presented as a symbol of national dignity, is once again dominated by algae just a few days after completion fits into a series of setbacks that even Trump's own supporters view with concern.

Drain the Swamp – In an Unwanted Twist

Despite numerous corruption allegations against him, Trump once coined the slogan "Drain the Swamp." Now it is precisely his own major project that has given rise to the quip that the Reflecting Pool has become a "swamp." The irony of this twist has been widely commented on by observers in Washington and on social media. Some used photos of the green water surface to address the president with the phrase "Can you see it in my photos?" as a sarcastic comment.

The Department of the Interior and the National Park Service must now demonstrate that the newly announced nanobubbler can get the situation under control. The pressure is high, as numerous state guests and visitors will be arriving in Washington in the near future. If the algae do not recede, it would be another visible blemish in what is already a tense phase of Trump's term of office.

The political consequences of this specific incident can only be speculated about for now, as the incident itself is rather symbolic in nature. What is clear, however, is that the visual impact of a green basin between the two national monuments can hardly be reconciled with the narrative of a "shining" Washington that the White House had been promoting. The coming weeks leading up to the celebrations on July 4 will show whether the technical countermeasures take effect – or whether the image of an algae-covered, formerly blue water surface becomes, at least photographically, a symbol of a hasty remodeling policy.

One thing is certain: the Reflecting Pool remains a place of longing in political iconography. Shortly after its completion in the 1920s, it was regarded as a place of contemplation, where the reflections of the monuments were meant to invite visitors to reflect. The pool will presumably continue to fulfill this purpose in the future – only, for now, in a shade of green that Trump certainly did not order.

How the responsible authorities will proceed is the subject of ongoing consultations. What is clear is that the president will press for a visible solution in order to still bring the major project to his desired conclusion. Whether that succeeds depends not least on whether the water inflow – and not just the color of the floor – can be brought under control in the long term.