The White House reflecting pool is getting a facelift. President Trump has ordered an immediate clean-up of the algae-infested waters. The move, announced via Twitter, sparked eye-rolls among Westminster landscape experts.
“It’s a PR stunt,” muttered one senior horticulturist. “The cost is eye-watering. Millions for a pond. Meanwhile, the National Trust struggles for cash.”
Whitehall sources whisper the real reason: Trump wants a pristine backdrop for his 2020 campaign videos. No more green sludge behind the podium. The optics matter.
British landscape architects are fuming. “We could have done it for half the price,” a Royal Parks veteran told me. “But they won’t listen. They never do.”
The repair firm? A Trump-linked contractor, naturally. The contract appears to have bypassed competitive tender.
Downing Street remains silent. But one No. 10 aide conceded: “We’re watching closely. If this goes wrong, it’s a gift for Labour.”
The reflecting pool, a symbol of American democracy, now a symbol of presidential vanity. The question: who pays? The American taxpayer, as ever.
And what of the algae? It will be back. Nature always wins. But for now, the pool will sparkle. At a cost.
