President Donald Trump on Sunday celebrated the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool's transformation from an algae-choked basin to a crystal clear water feature, while simultaneously calling for the public's help in identifying a vandalism suspect who damaged the newly restored pool. In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump shared photos showing the pool reflecting the Washington Monument under blue skies and issued a wanted notice for an individual connected to a destruction of government property investigation.
The pool, which holds 6.75 million gallons of water, had long struggled with algae blooms that plagued every reopening since 1922, according to Interior Department officials. Trump's administration credited advanced nanobubbler technology developed by Dei Gratia Minerals, founded by Greg Wischer, who serves as Interior's deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management. Wischer wrote in a memo shared with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Trump that the technology effectively killed the algae that had marred previous administrations' efforts, most infamously during the Obama administration's reopening.
«The Reflecting Pool water is crystal clear, and our National Park Service team is now vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom of some parts of the Reflecting Pool — just like the destroyed Iranian Navy resting on the bottom of the Persian Gulf,» Wischer wrote. The vacuuming process is the final maintenance step after refilling the pool and is expected to be complete within days. Already, the section closest to the Lincoln Memorial has been vacuumed, revealing the pool's American Flag Blue coating on the bottom.
Trump's Interior Department has been vocal about the technological success, contrasting it with what it described as failures under previous administrations, particularly under former President Barack Obama. «Previous administrations — most notably under Obama — failed to maintain the Reflecting Pool, and after refilling the pool, the water would quickly become murky and thick with massive clumps of algae floating on the surface,» the memo concluded. The department noted that the pool is now so blue that media outlets that had been staked out at the site for weeks have left.
However, the restoration effort has been marred by vandalism. The U.S. Park Police is seeking the public's assistance in identifying an individual connected to a destruction of government property investigation related to the Reflecting Pool. Trump shared a wanted poster on Truth Social, urging the public to help identify the suspect. The vandalism involved cutting the pool's newly installed liner, resulting in multiple gashes totaling approximately 350 feet.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum addressed the vandalism during an appearance on ABC's «This Week» on Sunday, dismissing suggestions that the damage was due to poor workmanship. «We weren't expecting that we were going to have a small group of people that wanted to try to destroy effectively what is part of the Lincoln Memorial,» Burgum said. He noted that the Reflecting Pool had gone for decades without vandalism and that there are plenty of cameras around the Lincoln statue and memorial.
Burgum also clashed with CNN host Dana Bash over the damage, asserting that officials have photographic evidence of the cuts. «Absolutely you can,» Burgum said when asked if he could prove vandalism caused the damage. «And as we drain it, we've got all the photographs we can see.» Bash pressed Burgum on whether officials had photographs of a person cutting the liner, but Burgum maintained that the evidence is clear.
The vandalism has raised questions about repair costs and timelines. Burgum indicated that the pool might not need to be fully drained for repairs, as the cuts occurred on the edge where the liner slopes. «We may be able to partially drain it and do the repair. To be able to fix it, we may not have to drain the whole thing, but it could go very quickly,» he said. The repairs are expected to be completed in the coming weeks, ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a iconic symbol in the nation's capital, has been a focal point for both celebration and controversy. The Trump administration's successful algae treatment and restoration efforts have been hailed as a victory for the America 250 initiative, but the vandalism has cast a shadow over the achievement. Burgum emphasized that the vast majority of Americans are celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary and that the vandalism represents only a small, destructive minority.
