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People Found A Photo Of The Guy Trump Hired To Renovate The Reflecting Pool, And They’re Losing It
As Washington deals with its algae problem, the internet dug up a photo of the man tied to the Reflecting Pool controversy and claimed he is giving off “villain” vibes.
John J. Cafaro became the butt of jokes over his connection to Greenwater Services, which came under fire for its handling of recent work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Highlights
- John J. Cafaro became the butt of jokes over his connection to Greenwater Services, which came under fire for its handling of recent work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
- Less than two weeks after Donald Trump announced that the site had reopened, chunks of peeling blue paint were spotted in the water, which had also turned green from algae.
- The internet dug up a photo of Cafaro after critics claimed the water filtration system spectacularly backfired.
- “He looks like a Batman villain ordered from Temu,” one commented online.
“He looks like a Batman villain ordered from Temu,” one commented online.
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The internet dug up a photo of the man tied to the Reflecting Pool controversy and claimed he is giving off “villain” vibes
Image credits: Paula Nardini/Pexels (not an actual photo)
It all started with U.S. President Donald Trump and his ambitious plans of giving Washington, D.C., a makeover.
One of the items on his makeover list was demolishing the East Wing of the White House and replacing it with a massive ballroom.
Image credits: guardiannews
Also on his list was the renovation of the 600-meter-long Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, but it quickly faced setbacks.
The federal government entered into a $1.7 million contract with Ohio-based Greenwater Services to install a water purification system in the Reflecting Pool.
Netizens dubbed the month of June as “ALGAEBTQ Pride Month”
Image credits: The White House
Image credits: magi_jay
The company is owned by J.J. Cafaro Investment Trust, which is led by Cafaro, and was hired to install a “nano bubble” device to destroy algae.
Less than two weeks after Trump announced that the site had reopened, chunks of peeling blue paint were spotted, and the water had also turned green from algae.
Image credits: guardiannews
Greenwater Services immediately came under fire, with democrats and critics voicing their disdain.
“You can’t make this s*** up,” Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, said in a tweet.
Netizens jokingly dubbed the month of June as “ALGAEBTQ Pride Month.”
Image credits: ColMoeDavis
Many also dragged Cafaro into the discussions.
The businessman has reportedly donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Trump, including a $250,000 donation in 2020 and $100,000 in 2024.
In addition to being a neighbor to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Cafaro has also overseen projects in Florida and West Virginia. And his family business has developed numerous malls across the country.
Image credits: WKYCChannel3
Cafaro also pleaded guilty in 2021 to bribing former Congressman James Traficant Jr., an Ohio Democrat. The year before, he pleaded guilty to a campaign finance crime.
Trump once described the two-time felon as a “fantastic man” who “made a lot of money in Cleveland [and] does a good job.”
Trump once described the two-time felon as a “fantastic man” who “made a lot of money in Cleveland”
This is Trump donor John J. Cafaro, who got the $1.7M no-bid contract to clean the Washington Reflecting Pool & has previously plead guilty in separate federal cases involving bribery and campaign finance violations.
Describe him in ONE or TWO words pic.twitter.com/6KV8RExtA0
— Esta (@TheOnlyEsta) June 24, 2026
Image credits: capsulebutt
When a picture of Cafaro made the rounds online, viewers declared, “This guy even looks the part of a corrupt villain.”
“How much clearer does the criminal enterprise have to be?” one asked. “We’re looking at comic book-level characters at this point.”
“OMG. We’re living in a comic book,” read one comment online
Image credits: jsher88888
Another agreed, “He looks like the villain from cartoons or old silent movies.”
“Well, they asked for Greenwater, and they got green water,” one said.
“I literally thought it was just someone cosplaying Gomez Addams,” another wrote.
Image credits: WKYCChannel3
Another joked, “The entire Trump-verse is filled with cartoon villains and weird caricatures!”
“He looks like a comedic villain from a 90s movie,” one said.
Real Housewives of Orange County star Kelly Dodd, who was pictured next to Cafaro in the viral picture, completely distanced herself from him.
She claimed she didn’t even know who he was or what his name was, but had an encounter with him at an event in Palm Beach.
“Why do they all look like cheesy Batman villains from the Clooney movies?” another jokingly asked.
Real Housewives of Orange County star Kelly Dodd distances herself from Trump’s reflecting pool contractor John J. Cafaro. pic.twitter.com/xUUTn5NGX5
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) June 24, 2026
Image credits: zerodarkwokey
The White House recently said the Reflecting Pool had to be fixed in time for the country’s 250th birthday on July 4.
They also said Greenwater Services’ Nano Bubble system for the Reflecting Pool was a “highly specialized and niche technology.”
Image credits: WKYCChannel3
Image credits: mammasaysstuff
After netizens claimed the Reflecting Pool’s renovation backfired spectacularly, Cafaro claimed the filtration system did exactly what it’s meant to do.
“I have no idea why this is an issue,” he told The Vindicator last week.
Cafaro claimed it was people “who don’t seem to like Trump” making an issue about it
Image credits: Airam Dato-on/Pexels (not an actual photo)
Cafaro claimed it was people “who don’t seem to like Trump” making an issue about it.
“I don’t pay much attention to it. The system is working. We weren’t hired to clean the pool, but to sell them permanent equipment to clean it forever,” he told the outlet. “It turned green because the technology worked. It k*lled the algae in the pipes.”
The businessman also claimed that Trump had nothing to do with Greenwater Services getting the contract.
The president “is my friend and he doesn’t know a thing about it,” he added. “I would never talk to him about it. I’d never put him in that position. No deal is worth it to me. He’s a friend, and you don’t do things to put friends in awkward positions.”
“It’s a real-life caricature,” one commented on Cafaro’s viral picture
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What do you think ?
sturmwesen 1 hour ago (edited)
He went and got a villain from scooby doo?might want to check the green sludge😉
Coupon Holder 5 minutes ago
First off, wow, I didn't know judging anyone based on their looks was cool. Thought we were all trying to get past that. Also I did an AI search for whether a pool turns green when you k**l algae, so perhaps before we attack attack attack we give it time? "Yes. When you k**l a severe algae bloom with shock, the water often turns into a cloudy, dull, or greyish-green color. This happens because the d**d algae are left suspended in the water, changing from vibrant living green to muted d**d matter before you filter them out"
sturmwesen 1 hour ago (edited)
He went and got a villain from scooby doo?might want to check the green sludge😉
Coupon Holder 5 minutes ago
First off, wow, I didn't know judging anyone based on their looks was cool. Thought we were all trying to get past that. Also I did an AI search for whether a pool turns green when you k**l algae, so perhaps before we attack attack attack we give it time? "Yes. When you k**l a severe algae bloom with shock, the water often turns into a cloudy, dull, or greyish-green color. This happens because the d**d algae are left suspended in the water, changing from vibrant living green to muted d**d matter before you filter them out"
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