June 17, 2026, 10:19 a.m. ET
Jimmy Kimmel has been reflecting on President Donald Trump’s reflecting pool renovation, and he’s ready to wade into the waters.
On his June 16 show, the comedian skewered Trump over the green appearance of the water in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which has been overrun with algae after a recent renovation.
“Experts are saying that when Trump had it painted dark blue, he made the problem worse, because the darker color retains more heat, and algae thrives in warmer water,” Kimmel said. “You know, he promised he would drain the swamp. Instead, he spent 14 million of our dollars building a new one.”
He added, “His next step is to move St. Patrick’s Day to July and claim it’s green on purpose. He owns hotels! If there was one thing he could do, you would think it was keep a pool clean! He can’t even get that right.”
National Park Service employees have recently been seen clearing the pool, the basin of which was painted “American Flag Blue” as part of a renovation that was finished in June. Trump had announced plans to refurbish the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in April, citing complaints over its cleanliness and leaking foundation.
Nanobubble technology cited as helping Reflecting Pool algae
The Department of the Interior previously said in a statement shared with USA TODAY, “Versus previous administrations, the National Park Service is actually maintaining the beautifully completed Reflecting Pool.”
The statement continued, “The nanobubbler technology has successfully destroyed the algae bloom that has plagued every pool reopening since 1922. Now, due to deploying the advanced nanobubbler technology, the algae is dead and being vacuumed up as we speak. We thank President Trump for fixing the Reflecting Pool for good.”
But Hans Paerl, research professor of marine and environmental sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, previously told USA TODAY that the pool may not appear blue again in time for July 4.
Kimmel’s latest monologue also covered Trump’s announcement that he will host a rally on July 4 at the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, which he said would feature a large fireworks show.
“He’s going to burn down the White House, isn’t he?” Kimmel joked. “He’s going to want all the fireworks, there are going to be too many fireworks. He knocked down one half, he’s going to burn down the other.”
Contributing: Michelle Del Rey, USA TODAY
