President Donald Trump said Sunday afternoon “work will begin immediately on fixing the seriously vandalized” Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool one day after accusing vandals of damaging the monument.
“I just inspected it,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, the latest development in an ongoing dispute over the condition of the pool. “And could only say to myself, and those gathered around me, WOW, who would do such a thing?”
The Reflecting Pool has become a recurring focus for the Trump administration since it launched a spring project to renovate the memorial as part of broader efforts to restore national symbols throughout Washington, D.C.
The grass in front of the memorial was vandalized with “86 47” graffiti in late April, and after the administration painted the pool’s bottom “American Flag Blue,” pictures have appeared showing sections of the coating peeling off. The water has also taken on a green hue due to algal blooms.
Trump has blamed vandals for the damage, saying Saturday night “many additional people have been arrested” after a former Olympian and cyclist was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property.
David Hearn, 67, a three-time Olympian and Bethesda resident, was biking through the area when he reached into the pool after noting a piece of the liner was partially detached from the bottom.
He grabbed the end of the “already-peeling piece” and was subsequently put in handcuffs by U.S. Park Police. Hearns says he didn’t vandalize the pool and that “by the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.”
Trump’s insistence that locals have caused the damage was underscored by Washington, D.C., District Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Sunday, who said “anyone who was in a position of vandalizing or attempting to vandalize the reflecting pool will face the criminal justice system in D.C.”
Pirro referenced accusations that people have poured chemicals into the pool, saying “if there are more serious products that are put into the reflecting pool to create more algae or a bigger problem, then we’ll consider more serious charges” than a misdemeanor charge.
‘AMERICAN FLAG BLUE’ COATING APPARENTLY PEELING OFF IN LINCOLN MEMORIAL REFLECTING POOL
Trump noted Saturday afternoon that much of the pool’s water would likely need to be drained.
Other beautification projects, such as restoring the Columbus Circle fountain and Meridian Hill Park, have proven more successful.
