Trump says Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was vandalized, defends response to algae bloom
Federal crews are cleaning the pool as investigators review Trump’s vandalism claim, while algae and peeling blue material continue to draw visitors.
- President Donald Trump has blamed "vandalism" for severe setbacks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, claiming that bad actors deliberately targeted the landmark to sabotage its new look.
- The pool was just refilled after a swift $14.2 million makeover ordered by Trump to paint the basin's bottom "American flag blue" for the country's upcoming 250th anniversary, but it was quickly hit by massive algae blooms that turned the water a murky green.
- Experts believe the peeling blue coating was actually caused by the cleanup effort, noting that the heavy doses of hydrogen peroxide dumped into the water by federal workers to kill the algae is a primary active ingredient used in commercial paint removers.
- Trump singled out ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl, claiming on Truth Social that the journalist was a vandal who was "seen sticking his hand into the pool and trying to rip the rubber off" after Karl pulled a floating chunk of the loose blue material out during a broadcast.
- The administration linked the pool's issues to a broader string of incidents, pointing to an active police investigation on the National Mall where the numbers "86 47" were found etched into a large patch of grass—slang authorities are treating as a potential threat against the 47th president.
132 Articles
132 Articles
Multiple arrests after Trump claims vandalism at Reflecting Pool
Donald Trump says federal authorities have made "multiple arrests" of people he said were vandalising the Reflecting Pool, as he struggles to explain why the multi-million-dollar renovation has seemingly backfired.
Trump, without substantiation, blames Reflecting Pool renovation woes on vandalism
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that federal authorities had made "multiple arrests" of people he said were vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as he struggled to explain why the $14-million-plus US rehabilitation project he launched for the nation's 250th anniversary seemingly backfired.
President Trump tries to blame Reflecting Pool woes on vandalism, without offering substantiation
The paint is peeling from Washington's Reflecting Pool after the renovation ordered by President Donald Trump, and he is now alleging that someone damaged it intentionally.
Trump's Reflecting Pool sabotage claim falls apart: 'Brain is filled with tapioca'
President Donald Trump reportedly spent nearly $15 million painting the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue. When the water turned green and the new paint started peeling off, he reached for the explanation he always reaches for: someone did this to him on purpose.In a late-night Tru...
After multi-million dollar renovation, National Mall Reflecting Pool awash in algae... and controversy
As the nation prepares for a red, white and blue July 4 celebration, the White House is responding to a problem of a different hue: a verdant Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool rife with algae.At Trumps urging, federal officials this spring undertook a renovation project aimed at beautifying the historic pool on D.C.s National Mall.But just weeks before the projects completion, twin controversies have the Trump administration on defense over both …
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