The Reflecting Pool Sealant May Have Trump’s Motorcade Partly To Blame For Its Peeling | Carscoops

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past couple of weeks, you’ll no doubt be familiar with the controversy around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. It was recently renovated in preparation from the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, but is already in need of repairs, and President Trump’s motorcade could be partly to blame.

As part of the renovations at the site, the base was painted and sealed in what Trump’s calls “American flag blue,” and then refilled with water. Before long, the algae that had been present before the renovations returned, and it did so in force.

According to some experts, the dark finish applied to the pool may have contributed to warmer water, which, when coupled with hot and humid conditions in the nation’s capital, as well as nutrients left over in the water used to refill the pool, led to massive algae blooms.

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Importantly, algae blooms at the Reflecting Pool are nothing new and have been an issue for decades. But, before long, the fancy blue sealant had started to peel. In an interview last week, President Trump claimed – without evidence – that vandals were responsible, claiming a near 350-slit had been cut in the sealant, perhaps using a “box cutter or a knife.” Several people have now been arrested, including a 67-year-old cyclist who says he simply reached in to feel the detached sealant.

Is Trump To Blame?

It’s now being suggested that the Trump administration itself may be partly responsible, PBS reports. In early May, while the pool was being painted and sealed, Trump’s motorcade drove right through the center of it, probably because they thought it’d be a good photo op.

This has led some to suggest the weight of the vehicles may have damaged parts of the sealant, which had yet to fully cure. One video shows them driving across a wet area of sealant, leaving tire marks.

While there’s currently no evidence that the motorcade directly caused damage, which later led to the sealant peeling, it’s not a great look for the administration. In addition, it’s known that staff from the National Park Service had been pouring in bottles of hydrogen peroxide into the water in an effort to fight the algae, with some suggesting this, too, may have damaged the sealant.

— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) May 8, 2026

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