President Donald Trump pushed for renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool so it would be American flag blue for the country’s 250th birthday celebration this summer. Instead, he got algae bloom green.This is one of several expensive beautification and construction projects Trump has taken on since reassuming office, including his $600 million ballroom.The Obama administration also spent millions of dollars trying to fix the 2,000-foot-long pool, which sits between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, but Trump said his renovation would be both cheaper and better. It was cheaper, but the latter has yet to be proven true. “There’ll be no leaks. There’ll be no anything. It’ll look gorgeous, beautiful,” Trump said in April about the project, which he claimed would cost somewhere between $1.5 million and $2 million. “It will look far more beautiful, more beautiful than it did in 1922 when they built it.” However, the renovations, completed by a company that has worked on Trump’s golf courses, wrapped up earlier this month and ended up costing more than $14 million. Onlookers initially seemed unimpressed by the costly renovation after it was completed, saying the pool didn’t look much different from the way it did weeks earlier, NPR reported. The algae almost immediately popped back up and has since worsened, making the pool reminiscent of the Chicago River when it’s dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day each year.A Department of the Interior spokesperson previously told CNN the algae outbreak in the Reflecting Pool is from “residual algae from the supply lines, which have been sitting dormant for eight weeks.” On Wednesday, an Interior Department spokesperson told HuffPost that the National Park Service is using “high-tech nanobubble ozone technology” to kill algae, pathogens and contaminants “that have long plagued the Reflecting Pool since 1922.” They are also using hydrogen peroxide to help fix the issue.“There are no harmful side effects to marine life or to the environment,” the spokesperson added. The spokesperson did not say when the algae would be gone.Take a look at the green, algae-infested Reflecting Pool below. A duck swims past workers as they remove algae from the green-tinted Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on June 17, 2026. Cliff Owen via AP PhotoGreen algae surrounds hoses connected to pumps at the Reflecting Pool.Cliff Owen via AP PhotoGreen water is pumped out of the Reflecting Pool on June 17, 2026. In a more than $14 million attempt, the president had tried paint the historical landmark blue.Cliff Owen via AP PhotoA white chemical is pumped into the Reflecting Pool as workers attempt to clean it before America's 250th birthday.Cliff Owen via AP PhotoMore white chemical action at the Reflecting Pool.Cliff Owen via AP PhotoPeople walk along the visibly green water at the Reflecting Pool on June 17, 2026.Cliff Owen via AP PhotoVarious algae-filtering equipment is parked beside the Reflecting Pool. Emily Alff via Emily Alff/Sipa USA via Reuters A duck swims through the Reflecting Pool's green, algae-rich waters on June 16, 2026. Eric Lee via REUTERSDucks swim through the algae in front of the Lincoln Memorial on June 16, 2026. Eric Lee via REUTERS