President Donald Trump stated on Friday that vandals have damaged the recently renovated Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial. Authorities are currently investigating the incident.
The Reflecting Pool, which recently underwent a $14.8 million restoration, is under scrutiny due to issues like peeling paint and algae growth shortly after the completion of the project. Trump expressed his views on Truth Social, saying, “Things are really looking good in our Nation’s Capital.” He added that Washington, D.C., now ranks as one of the safest cities in the United States since his presidency began.
Trump highlighted the vandalism issues at the Reflecting Pool, situated between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial. He noted, “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.” Trump accused vandals of using chemicals similar to those used on the National Mall to damage the pool’s new surface.
A recent incident involved the etching of the numbers “86 47” into the grass on the National Mall, which Trump’s administration viewed as threatening. They interpreted “86” as slang for removing something, and “47” as a reference to Trump as the nation’s 47th president.
The National Park Service and contractors have applied chemicals and ozone nanobubbles to control the algae growth, using a swimming pool-style vacuum system to remove it. The service assured that these methods have no harmful side effects on marine life or the environment.
Trump noted that 75% of the algae has been removed, with full remediation expected soon. He mentioned that the area damaged by vandalism is small and will be repaired by next week. Law enforcement is actively investigating these incidents, with National Guard personnel and U.S. Park Police monitoring the area.
Images and videos circulated online show people near the Reflecting Pool, some of whom appear to criticize the renovation project while others seem to be celebrating the algae growth.