Trump administration battles pool algae, compares fight to Iran war

Workers are struggling to remove algae from Washington's reflecting pool, which has failed to achieve the "American Flag blue" color ordered by the Trump administration. The pool has instead taken on various shades of green, frustrating refurbishment efforts. Parts of the coating applied to achieve the desired blue hue have also begun peeling off.

Federal employees in waders have been seen attempting to clear algae and address green patches. Earlier, the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, asserted the water was "crystal clear," blaming the "Fake News Media" for contrary reports.

In a statement on X, the department controversially compared its purported success against the algae to the U.S. war with Iran. "The Reflecting Pool water is crystal clear, and our National Park Service team is now vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom of some parts of the Reflecting Pool – just like the destroyed Iranian Navy resting on the bottom of the Persian Gulf," the press office stated.

This comparison follows a peace deal signed Wednesday, which left the U.S. president with Iran's word not to build a bomb, but no written commitment regarding its ballistic missile program. The administration had initially vowed to eliminate Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The reflecting pool, a historically symbolic site, is part of Trump's broader efforts to recondition Washington. A no-bid contract for its waterproofing and repainting was awarded to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a company that previously worked on a pool at one of the president's golf clubs. The administration had claimed residual algae would be cleared quickly, but it has proliferated in warm weather. They later suggested "nanobubbler technology" would solve the issue, with the interior department claiming it had "very effectively killed the algae."

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The Reflecting Pool water is crystal clear, and our National Park Service team is now vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom of some parts of the Reflecting Pool – just like the destroyed Iranian Navy resting on the bottom of the Persian Gulf