Key Background
President Donald Trump drained the Reflecting Pool in April in order to make significant renovations to the body of water first opened in 1922, including painting the basin “American Flag Blue.” However, when the pool was refilled in June, it quickly turned green once again when an algae bloom came back in force, which the Department of the Interior blamed on “residual” algae from supply lines filling the pool up with water from the Tidal Basin, a spokesperson told CNN. Martin told Forbes last week the Department of the Interior was using “nanobubbler” technology to treat the algae, which was now “dead and being vacuumed up as we speak.” Visitors soon saw large chunks of the new paint were soon seen peeling from the bottom of the basin, which Trump blamed on “vandalism.”
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Surprising Fact
Trump has consistently admonished the Obama and Biden administrations for spending “over 100 Million Dollars on the Reflecting Pool, and it never worked,” even insisting “it was rarely open due to leaks and ‘stench.’” Biden never worked on any major renovations to the pool, according to an Associated Press fact check, while Obama spent about $34 million on renovations. In a similar turn of events, the algae bloom returned to the Reflecting Pool just weeks after Obama’s renovations in 2012. Trump claims his administration spent about $16 million in total to repairs to the pool and the surrounding area.
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Further Reading
ForbesTrump Threatens To Sue ABC News—Alleges ‘False Reporting’ About Reflecting PoolBy Siladitya Ray
ForbesTrump Says Reflecting Pool Repairs Will Begin ‘Immediately’By Zachary FolkForbesReflecting Pool Appears Green After Trump Renovation: PhotosBy Zachary Folk