Washington DC - President Donald Trump on Saturday blamed "terrible vandals" and sabotage for the shocking failure of his $14 million reflecting pool renovation, which is blighted by algae and peeling paint.

"Many additional people have been arrested having to do with the disgraceful Vandalism of our beautiful Reflecting Pool," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday night. "Ours worked perfectly, including the mirror like finish."

"What these terrible Vandals have done is a true affront to both Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and should be dealt with accordingly," he continued, before laying out a comprehensive list of accusations.

Trump accused unspecified individuals of killing large amounts of grass around the pool, putting a 250-foot long gash into "the beautiful facade" and pouring "corrosive and destructive chemicals into the pool."

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He said that, as a result of the alleged vandalism, the US government "will probably be forced to release and drain much of the water in order to do the necessary repairs."

"The Reflecting Pool was never so beautiful as it was just one week ago," Trump said. "We are very proud of what we have done with this magnificent structure, and we will get it repaired, quickly."

Trump's rambling social media rant came shortly after an AFP photographer on Friday noticed that clumps of blue paint were chipping off and being pumped out of the reflecting pool by workers.

It also came days after a massive algae bloom turned the pool – which was supposed to be blue to reflect the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial – a dark green, swampy color.

The White House is scrambling to fix the issue, clearing up the green algae outbreak and potentially repainting the surface, before the US' 250th anniversary celebrations kick off in a few weeks time.