US President Donald Trump has famously transformed the magnificent Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool into a high profile showcase for the algae biofuel industry, and he stands firm in his faith that the tiny green microalgae can produce renewable fuels at scale. In fact, on Monday, November 2, the President held his all-important closing message for the 2026 midterm election cycle right there at the Reflecting Pool. Hey, maybe Trump knows something about algae biofuel…
The Reflecting Pool is a massive body of shallow water that extends from the foot of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Situated on filled ground in former marshlands, the Reflecting Pool provides a golden opportunity to showcase the ability of the domestic biofuel industry to take advantage of the built infrastructure, rather than taking up valuable farmland with conventional energy crops like corn or soybeans.
Although algae cultivation was probably not the original intention of the Reflecting Pool, it has been a perennial host to algae ever since its construction in the 1920’s, with the humid environment and temperate climate of DC lending a hand.
In earlier years, the Pool was drained and refilled twice a year to control the growth. By the 1990’s, the structure was clearly sinking into the marshes, sparking calls for a major structural overhaul and the addition of a water circulating system.
The soup-to-nuts rehab was completed in 2012, and yet the algae persisted. Finally, when Trump took office for the second time in January of 2025, he lit upon a brilliant idea of turning lemons into lemonade.
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