On June 20, 2026, multiple arrests were made by the United States Park Police in connection with alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. This follows a statement by President Trump days after the pool’s water turned fluorescent green due to algae, and rips emerged in the newly installed ‘American Flag Blue’ surface, which the president had chosen.
President Trump announced on Truth Social, ‘The United States Park Police have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nation’s magnificent Reflecting Pool. These are very serious crimes involving the destruction of National Monuments, leading to years in jail. Repair work will begin immediately.’
A 67-year-old man from Bethesda, Maryland, named David Hearn, was among those arrested. Hearn was detained for five hours on Friday after reaching into the pool during a 64-mile bike ride. The pool’s new liner that President Trump had requested was peeling. Hearn, who is a former Olympic canoe racer and the owner of a company that supplied materials for watercraft construction, expressed scientific curiosity in the pool. He wanted to examine the new coating that was detaching from the bottom. He stated, ‘I’m a curious citizen. I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery.’
He was taken into custody by National Guard and Park Police after briefly touching the coating and then releasing it when a park worker advised him to. He awaits a court date next month and is seeking legal representation. The Washington Post initially reported on Hearn’s arrest.
The Reflecting Pool has long struggled with leaks, algae growth, and plumbing issues. President Trump initiated a renovation effort in April, addressing the pool’s poor condition as part of Washington D.C.’s spring cleaning before America’s 250th anniversary.
Although the resurfacing and refilling of the pool occurred, issues began reoccurring last week. Workers were seen removing algae, and bottles of hydrogen peroxide were poured into the pool. President Trump commented, ‘[The algae is 75% gone; soon the condition will be completely remedied. The vandalized area is fortunately small and will be repaired early next week.]’
Even if paint was pulled from parts of the pool, it would not account for the green algae blooms or loose paint detaching from the bottom. President Trump claims, ‘No different than the chemicals used on the National Mall, they used something similar in the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work.’
This refers to incidents involving discolored numbers on the National Mall with potential derogatory meanings towards President Trump. The numbers were etched as ’86 47,’ with authorities investigating whether they refer to him, the 47th president, potentially as a threat, as ’86’ can mean ‘removal.’