Trump's Absurd 'Algae War' Sparks National Guard Deployment Amid Vandalism Claims

National Guard troops are now stationed at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, a move that has drawn scorn and mockery from social media users over President Donald Trump's so-called "war on algae." This deployment comes after accusations of vandalism, with Trump, 80, claiming tampering at the memorial.

A video circulating on X shows military personnel keeping watch over the reflecting pool. One user commented, "National Guard troops are monitoring the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool like HAWKS after a man was arrested for jumping into the pool RIPPING SEALANT off the bottom."

Critics wasted no time in ridiculing the president's actions. One user quipped, "Somewhere a 4-star general is being briefed on algae movements because we’ve now discovered Pond Scum is America’s true national threat."

Another user remarked, "This is where the company that did the work is supposed to come back and fix it … but alas, it was all a grift." A third sarcastically suggested, "BREAKING: President Trump orders surprise drone strike on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in a last ditch effort to kill the massive growth of green algae."

One more chimed in, "This will work like prohibition and the war on drugs. Failure to address material conditions and root causes is going to lead to massive organized algae cartels that only spread faster." Another user added, "And he’s going to lose this war too. Do you think the algae demand more than $300 billion?"

The Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool has allegedly been vandalized, and Trump's refurbishment efforts have become a laughingstock in Washington. Earlier this year, he scrapped a planned renovation that would have cost $300 million and taken three years.

Instead, Trump claimed he handed the job to firms that maintain swimming pools at his hotels. They were tasked with resurfacing the bottom of the pool in "American Flag Blue." After reopening five weeks late and at ten times the initial cost, the water quickly turned a swampy green due to an algae invasion.

The exact source of the algae remains unconfirmed, but speculation suggests residual algae in the pipes from before cleaning multiplied rapidly in Washington's heat. The pool has a filtration system, but it’s unclear if repairs were part of the renovation. Later in the week, sections of the resurfacing began peeling off and flapping in the wind.

No evidence suggests this peeling was due to vandalism, although some tourists have started tearing strips off for souvenirs.

Trump took to Truth Social to express his outrage: "We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool, which sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial. Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool; they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed."

He continued, "No different than the chemicals that were used on the National Mall; they used something similar in the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work. Lightweight ABC Reporter, Jonathan Karl, was seen sticking his hand into the Pool and trying to rip the rubber off of the surface."

However, this claim was disputed. A video showed Karl grabbing surfacing material that had already peeled off and was floating on the surface; he did not attempt to "rip" anything off.

Trump's post went on: "The algae is 75% gone, and the condition will soon be completely remedied, and the area that was vandalized, fortunately, is just a small area of damage and will be fixed early next week."

He concluded with a jab at political opponents: "It’s a shame that the Radical Left Lunatics, most likely Dumocats, who have spent their lives trying to ruin our Country, are free to do so. Law Enforcement is actively investigating this situation and will hopefully have it resolved soon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"