Trump spent $14.2 million renovating the Lincoln Memorial's Reflecting Pool to paint it 'American flag blue,' but green algae bloomed in the shallow water within days of the June 8 opening, turning it murky by mid-June. The Guardian created an interactive graphic letting readers drag a slider to see the color transformation from blue to green over the 8-19 June window — a commentary on the speed and scale of the failure. Scientists say the algae bloom was predictable given the pool's shallow depth and sunny exposure during warm weather, and the renovation may have accelerated it by clearing competing organisms.