Photographer: Chip Somodevilla
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images North America
Copyright: 2026 Getty Images
A young duckling was found dead in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after Trump’s ‘renovation’ saw employees pour hydrogen peroxide in the waters.
After the Trump administration forked out $20 million to refurbish Washington DC’s Reflecting Pools, the iconic landmark is already filled with algae.
The government announced it was fixing leaks in the pool’s granite foundation and coating it with blue paint ahead of the 250th anniversary of the US’ independence.
This weekend, the National Park Service was seen working to clear lumps of algae from the still water. Some of the ‘American Blue’ paint was seen lifting off the pool bottom as well and floating around.
In a bid to tackle the algae growth, which Trump has denied, workers were seen pouring high-strength hydrogen peroxide, a form of bleach, into the water.
Yesterday, the body of a young duckling was seen floating in the water, raising further worries about the pool’s condition. It’s unclear if the duck’s death was related to the bleaching and ongoing issues in the pool.
Trump has long boasted about his renovation to the pool, which he did ahead of America’s 250th birthday.
‘The algae is dead and being vacuumed up as we speak,’ the government said last week, adding: ‘We thank President Trump for fixing the Reflecting Pool for good.’
A three-time Olympian who stopped by the Lincoln Memorial on Friday to see the newly refurbished Reflecting Pools found himself in handcuffs.
The government has vowed to prosecute anyone they think is ‘vandalising’ the pool after a former Olympian was arrested for touching part of the blue liner, which detached from the bottom.
Yesterday, David Hearn, 67, was checking out the pool when he reached into the water to see what it felt like. He was cuffed and charged with destruction of government property.
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Footage of the incident was quickly spread online by conservative commentators, who claimed Hearn was ‘vandalising’ the Reflecting Pool.
Hearn told the Washington Post: ‘I didn’t vandalise anything. I didn’t destroy, break, or peel anything. By the time I realised what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.’
‘Many additional people have been arrested having to do with the disgraceful Vandalism of our beautiful Reflecting Pool,’ the president said on Truth Social.
‘It hasn’t looked or worked like this since 1922, when it was originally built, but even then, it leaked badly, and didn’t work.
‘Ours worked perfectly, including the mirror like finish, perfectly reflecting the two Great Monuments, which it never had before!
‘What these terrible Vandals have done is a true affront to both Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and should be dealt with accordingly.’
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