Americanswers… Why has JD Vance changed his mind about Trump's intelligence?

**Anthony** (0:00)
Hello, it's Anthony, and you're about to hear Americast. We're delighted to have you with us. And if you enjoy what you hear, please do consider subscribing to the podcast. That way, you'll never miss an episode. Now, on with today.

**Justin Webb** (0:13)
Is Donald Trump about to be defeated, not in Congress, but by algae in a pool? That's one of the questions we turn to in this edition of American Answers. We're usually with Matt Chauley and Five Live on a Monday, aren't we? But Matt is unusually busy, because as you may have heard, the UK prime minister has resigned. But don't worry, we are still going to answer a range of questions. Algae is certainly among those questions. So is JD Vance and his view on Donald Trump's IQ and that fallout that there has been between Italy's Giorgia Meloni and the president, the two of them fighting on social media. So welcome to American Answers.

**Donald Trump** (0:52)
Americast.

**Marianna Spring** (0:53)
Americast from BBC News.

**Donald Trump** (0:56)
You hear that sound? Oh, I think when I hear that sound, it reminds me of money.

**Donald Trump** (1:00)
We didn't start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it. This is a big cover up and this administration is engaged in it.

**Justin Webb** (1:08)
This guy has Trump Derangement Syndrome.

**Donald Trump** (1:10)
I have four words for you. Turn the volume up.

**Justin Webb** (1:20)
Hello, it's Justin in the worldwide headquarters of Americast in London, England.

**Marianna Spring** (1:23)
And it is Marianna sitting next to Justin in the worldwide headquarters in London.

**Sarah Smith** (1:28)
And it is Sarah here in the heart of it all in Washington, DC.

**Justin Webb** (1:32)
Okay, let's go straight to the questions. This from Graham in Weymouth. Recently, my social media feed, Graham says, has been showing posts about a reflection pool in Washington. The Donald J. Trump ordered that either failed or algae is covering as well as costing millions of dollars. What is the truth behind this? Well, it's not just any old reflection pool, is it? Indeed, it's real name isn't reflection pool at all, is it Sarah? Fill us in on what the thing is that we're talking about here.

**Sarah Smith** (1:58)
Yeah, it's known as the reflecting pool or the reflecting pond initially, and it's a body of water right in the ceremonial heart of Washington, where the monuments and memorials are. It's meant to reflect things like the Washington monument in it, but it's always been a little bit dingy, blind with gray concrete, often the water has appeared a little bit dirty. It hasn't really fulfilled its mission of reflecting. So Donald Trump decided, as he has done with so many things in Washington, he was going to beautify it. He was going to fix it in time for America's 250th birthday, but it hasn't quite worked out like that.

**Justin Webb** (2:33)
Yeah, and so they thought that they had beautified it. And then either the paint job wasn't terribly well done, or the stuff that they used to kill the algae has also damaged the paint. So there are now apparently bits of the paint, Marianna, just floating about.

**Marianna Spring** (2:53)
Yeah, like chunks of blue paint.

**Justin Webb** (2:54)
It's all desperately sad because we posed, I thought, very attractively next to it, didn't we?

**Marianna Spring** (2:58)
Yeah, and it was absolutely freezing cold. It was beautiful.

**Justin Webb** (3:01)
Yeah, it was very beautiful.

**Marianna Spring** (3:02)
This was when we were there for the…

**Justin Webb** (3:04)
I mean, I've been there a thousand times, but I never really looked into it because exactly as Sarah says, it's never reflected anything really. And I think the idea that Donald Trump could get it reflect was always going to be a bit far-fetched.

**Marianna Spring** (3:17)
Yeah, I think it's one of those things that was best left alone and in a slightly more simple state. But as you might imagine, all of the content showing this water going like very green has been all over… Yeah, exactly as Grim pointed out, all over social media and lots of speculation about exactly why. So there's the paint kind of peeling off and then there's also the algae bloom. And then apparently officials have been using chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide, to try to treat the algae.
And then Donald Trump posted this thing on Truth Social saying, actually, it's none of those things. It's to do with vandals. He said, work will begin immediately on fixing the seriously vandalized reflecting pool. I just inspected it and could only say to myself and those gathered around me, wow, who would do such a thing? Sick deranged people, capitals.