President Trump took to Truth Social on Friday evening to blame vandals for the recent troubles at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which has been hit by an algae bloom and peeling paint just two weeks after a multi-million-dollar renovation was completed. The president claimed that the pool's deterioration is not due to natural causes, but rather intentional destruction by political opponents.
In his post, Trump wrote: "We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool, which sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial." He referenced a separate incident earlier this week where the numbers "86 47" were carved into the grass of the National Mall, which many interpreted as a call to remove the 47th president.
The president argued that the same chemicals used to damage the grass were also used on the pool's surface. "Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed," he wrote. "No different than the chemicals that were used on the National Mall, they used something similar in the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work."
Trump assured that law enforcement is "actively investigating" the alleged vandalism. The pool is part of a broader beautification initiative led by the Interior Department, which has cleaned and renovated over 45 monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. "Things are looking really good," Trump said, touting the progress of his project.
However, the reality on the ground is more complicated. The pool's 2,028-foot length has turned green due to algae growth, and National Park Service workers have been using hydrogen peroxide to combat the bloom, alongside an advanced filtration system. Reports also indicate that the special "American flag blue" coating ordered by Trump is peeling off the base of the pool. An Interior Department spokesperson confirmed these measures to The Hill earlier this week.
Trump acknowledged that 75% of the algae is now gone and predicted the problem "will soon be completely remedied." He downplayed the damage, saying, "The area that was vandalized, fortunately, is just a small area of damage, and will be fixed early next week." He then lashed out at his political enemies, calling them "Radical Left Lunatics, most likely Dumocats, who have spent their lives trying to ruin our Country."
The Hill has reached out to the Interior Department and the National Park Service for additional comment on the situation. This incident adds to the ongoing scrutiny of Trump's D.C. beautification projects, which have faced cost overruns and quality issues, as detailed in earlier reports on the reflecting pool's renovation.
