AFP, Washington

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday “terrible vandals” had sabotaged his renovation project of the Reflecting Pool in Washington, which will have to be revamped again, as it was blighted with algae and peeling paint.

Trump has championed a makeover for the 610-meter-long pool, bringing in contractors to drain it and paint it “American flag blue.”

But not long after the job was complete, the paint began to visibly peel, and the gleaming waters promptly refilled with green pond scum.

As workers scrambled to pump out murky water and dumped hydrogen peroxide into the pool, Trump took no responsibility for what many observers chalked up to shoddy workmanship.