Trump blames 'vandals' for failed Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool renovation; real issues are algae and peeling paint

President Donald Trump has claimed that vandals are responsible for damaging the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in Washington, D.C., but the actual causes of the renovation problems are algae growth and paint peeling.

The project, initially estimated at $1.8 million, has ballooned to nearly $15 million. Trump awarded a no-bid contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based company that had not previously won federal contracts and which Trump said had worked at his golf club. Another no-bid contract went to Trump donor John J. Cafaro for a $1.7 million filtration system.

Trump wanted to repaint the pool "American flag blue," but soon after completion, the water turned green due to algae. Officials have blamed "fake news" and deployed "nanobubbler technology" and hydrogen peroxide to combat the algae without success. The paint also began to peel, with chunks floating in the water.

Trump alleged that vandals used a knife to create a 300-foot gash in the pool's facade, but Washington Post reporters who visited the pool found no evidence of such damage. Five people have been arrested for vandalism, but one of them, three-time Olympic canoeist David Hearn, said he only touched a loose piece of paint.

Experts note that algae blooms are common in shallow, stagnant water in summer. Trump now says contractors may need to drain the water for repairs.