The ongoing saga of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool continues. As the internet takes notice of every change in color, paint chip, and algae growth that is shared in photos or videos on social media, Donald Trump tries to do damage control. Now, the National Guard has been deployed in order to defend the Reflecting Pool, and someone posted a video about it on X.
Or is it a way to keep the peace? Or is Trump just trying to save face, since he has also claimed that mysterious vandals are to blame for the state of the Reflecting Pool? Honestly, who can tell at this point? Trump spent more than $14 million on the renovation to make sure the Reflecting Pool is in solid shape, but apparently, he needed to call in authorities too.
The National Guard was sent to protect the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The National Guard, along with local police, have been dispatched to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to guard the algae.
— Steven Huffman (@Poeslawisalive) June 20, 2026
As you can see at the end of this clip, the algae is safe. Well done. pic.twitter.com/p61u3f2j6m
In the X post, there is footage of at least four National Guard soldiers standing by the Reflecting Pool. In the post, the user wrote, “The National Guard, along with local police, have been dispatched to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to guard the algae. As you can see at the end of this clip, the algae is safe. Well done.”
Someone commented on the X post with, “In the criminal justice system, algae-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In Washington, D.C., the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Algae Unit. These are their stories.”
“Now when the algae & peeling sealant return in two weeks, what & to whom are MAGA going to blame?” Another person wrote. “The scrambling of a narrative will be so entertaining.”
Trump claimed that people vandalized it.
NOW: President Trump exposes the horrific, disgraceful vandalism of the beautiful, newly restored Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. 🙅♂️
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) June 21, 2026
Vandals sliced a massive 250-foot gash into the pool's facade with a blade and poured corrosive, destructive chemicals directly into the water.… pic.twitter.com/O37mFqSTaC
If you ask Trump, he’d probably deny any and all possibilities about there being anything wrong with the Reflecting Pool because of him or the contractors he hired to work on it. He posted on Truth Social that vandals allegedly attacked the lining of the pool with a blade of some kind, rather than, you know, terrible handiwork.
“They took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250 foot long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete,” Trump wrote in a post. “They also poured corrosive and destructive chemicals into the Pool.”
This seems to be his explanation for not only the large pieces of lining or paint peeling off and the green color of the water. Of course, not everyone is filled by these seemingly random claims, though.
Someone commented to the X post with Trump’s Truth Social post in it with, “This is such a load of bulls–t. There’s 24-hour surveillance cameras on the reflecting pool at all times. Show us a shred of proof.”
Another wrote, “Trump should hire someone who knows what they are doing. Properly installed coatings don’t peel. But I guess we are used to Trump hiring clowns by now. Freaking mo•rons. TDS is apparently a real disease.”
There are multiple issues with the pool.
Regardless of what happened at the Reflecting Pool or who might have been to blame for some of the more obvious issues with the lining underwater, there are multiple issues with the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The pool lining, or blue paint, seems to be peeling off in large pieces that people have taken note of and shared videos and photos of across social media.
Then, there is the ever-present algae in the large man-made body of water. Trump might have his own ideas, or just his wild claims, about what is going on with the pool, but the truth of the matter is that there are numerous issues that probably don’t start or end with the supposed vandals.
