Trump tries to blame Reflecting Pool woes on vandalism, without offering substantiation

A peeling section of blue coating is seen in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Washington (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that federal authorities had made “multiple arrests” of people he said were vandalizing the Reflecting Pool as he struggled to explain why the $14-million-plus rehabilitation project he launched for the nation’s 250th anniversary seemingly backfired.Trump said his predecessors had let the pool turn an algae-stained green and that he’d line it with “American flag blue” so it better reflected the Washington Monument. But after the new pool was unveiled, its blue tinge quickly became a familiar green. Workers treated it with chemicals to kill the algae, but then the painted blue lining on the bottom began to peel.On Friday night, Trump posted about the pool. Visitors watch as National Park Service employees use vacuums to clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Visitors watch as National Park Service employees use vacuums to clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share “We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool,” he posted on his social media site Friday night. “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 offered no details to substantiate his claim.Agencies responsible for law enforcement and upkeep on the National Mall — the U.S. Park Police, National Park Service and Interior Department — did not respond to requests for comment. Trump on Saturday followed up by saying Park Police “have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nations magnificent Reflecting Poll,” meaning Pool. 2 MIN READ 4 MIN READ 5 MIN READ He went on: “Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail!” One man arrested was David Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, who owned a company that made composite used to build watercraft. He said he stopped by the pool during his 64-mile bike ride Friday to see what was going on.Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool because he wanted to examine the peeling new coating. He said he briefly touched a chunk that was still attached to the side of the pool, then let go shortly after a park worker told him to. But, Hearn said, he was then detained by National Guard troops and Park Police for five hours before being released Friday night.“I’m a curious citizen,” Hearn said in a telephone interview. “I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery.” The Washington Post first reported Hearn’s arrest, and he said he has a date to appear in court next month and is looking for legal help. Even if someone pulled ribbons of paint from the side of the pool, it would not explain the clouds of algae in green water and swaths of loose blue paint detached from the bottom.Trump insisted something nefarious has been going on at the scene. “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,” he posted Friday evening. A peeling section of blue coating is seen in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) A peeling section of blue coating is seen in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share That was an apparent reference to the discovery of large numbers etched in discolored grass on the National Mall the week before: “86 47.” Authorities said the numbers could have been meant as a threat to Trump, the 47th president. The number 86 can be slang for “getting rid of.” They are investigating. Water from a vacuum line being used by National Park Service employees to clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool pours into a nearby drain, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Water from a vacuum line being used by National Park Service employees to clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool pours into a nearby drain, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Oklahoma City Police Department officers, deputized to assist with local law enforcement for events around the 250th anniversary of the U.S., patrol near the area where sections of blue coating have peeled up in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Oklahoma City Police Department officers, deputized to assist with local law enforcement for events around the 250th anniversary of the U.S., patrol near the area where sections of blue coating have peeled up in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Trump’s claims came after days of negative attention to the state of the pool, which has drawn television cameras and curious onlookers.