An Exclusive Interview with the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
Washington's most-talked-about body of water is ready for her close-up.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has always drawn crowds. By day, they come with cameras, with children, with an air of civic obligation. But this week, they’re coming for another reason. The pool turned green thanks to a vigorous algae bloom, and it’s all America can talk about.
The tourists have not stayed away. If anything, there are more of them than ever before.
I am here on the National Mall after midnight, at the pool’s request via publicist. The visitors are mostly gone now. The pool’s surface is very green and very still. A National Guard Humvee idles near the Washington Monument, its engine the only sound. The air feels thick, like the basement of a YMCA.
There are bodies of water with greater histories. There are bodies of water that are bigger, deeper, better smelling. But right now, in the summer of 2026, there is no body of water in America that is more talked about than the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. And she knows it.
CHORTLE: How are you feeling?
REFLECTING POOL: Honestly? I’m thriving. And I’m not just talking about the bacterial cultures, honey. This renovation, the new color, the higher temperature that accelerates algae metabolism and reproduction… I’m loving it all.
That’s surprising.
Are you kidding? I’m everywhere. People are calling this a Hot Pool Summer.
So you’re saying you don’t mind the algae bloom?
When I first noticed it, yes, I had a moment. I'm not going to pretend I didn't. But then came the attention. International attention. When was the last time a concrete basin of water went viral? I guess the truth is that I’m just a messy monument who loves drama.
But you just underwent a $15 million renovation, and there are already reports of peeling paint. Aren’t you upset by that?
Actually, I find it a little gross that people are speculating about a strong, independent reflecting pool's body like this.
Tell me about your relationship with the president.
Oh, you mean Donny? We go way back. I’ve always been his favorite monument. He could stare at his own reflection for hours.
That makes sense. It seems like the president has recently made you one of his signature projects, along with the White House ballroom and his proposed arch.
No, no, no. You’ve got it all wrong. As the president’s closest personal fecund pond, I can tell you that I’ve been one of his highest priorities since he first came to Washington. He’s always wanted to make this city feel more like his beloved Florida. He never said the whole plan out loud, but I was always part of it. It was supposed to be: “Drain the swamp… into the reflecting pool.”
