donald trump has once again threatened to prosecute the alleged “vandals” who, according to him, have converted the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting pool into an algae-infested mess, and the paint the government spent millions of taxpayer money on was already peeling off.
A rushed, shoddy “renovation” carried out through an expensive, no-bid contract is not the problem, nor are the pool’s long-standing leak problems that experts warned a coat of epoxy would not fix. No, the president has decided that his humiliation falls on invisible, anonymous agents sabotaging his latest vanity project.
“Of the MANY statues and fountains we rebuilt, renovated, cleaned and fixed up, the only one that was vandalized was the reflecting pool, which is being addressed ASAP!” Triumph wrote on Monday morning in SocialTruth.
“It has been gassed 300 feet long, chemicals have been illegally placed in the water, and the beautiful new grass field has been destroyed with a gigantic 86 47 chemically carved into it (probably inspired by dirty cop, James Comey!). Remember, there is a 10-year prison sentence for the destruction, or even attempted destruction, of such things, which will be fully enforced,” he added.
The president has been insisting for days that the problems with the pool are the result of a left-wing conspiracy to humiliate him.
On Saturday, he wrote that the pool had “worked perfectly” once it was refilled, “including the mirror-like finish, which perfectly reflects the two Great Monuments, which it had never had before!” (In fact, the Reflecting Pond had reflected the monuments for decades.) “What these terrible vandals have done is a true affront to Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.”
Trump claimed that in addition to cutting off suspected gas in the siding, the vandals had poured “corrosive chemicals” into the water. The reflecting pool contains approximately 6.5 million gallons of water, and the only individuals seen dumping chemicals at the location where they were supposedly contracted to kill algae.
“Work will begin immediately to fix the badly vandalized reflecting pool. I just inspected it and could only say to myself and those gathered around me: WOW, who would do such a thing!” Trump said. he wrote on Sunday. “SICK AND DISORDERED PEOPLE! Will we fix it?”
To emphasize the seriousness of their war on the algae, the National Guard and a hodgepodge of local and out-of-state law enforcement agencies have been deployed to Reflecting Pool to arrest anyone who touches the fetid water. Over the weekend, a former Olympic canoeist was arrested and charged with “vandalism” after allegedly touching a strip of epoxy resin that is falling off the bottom of the pool.
According to CBS newsAt least five people have been arrested for allegedly vandalizing the Reflecting Pool. It is notable that despite the abundance of security cameras and law enforcement officers regularly stationed around the Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool, the administration has yet to present any actual evidence of an actual act of vandalism.
Also unlikely is the idea that an alleged saboteur was able to get into the reflecting pool and cut a 300-foot gas (which Trump previously claimed was a 250-foot gas) into the epoxy without being seen by anyone. The most likely explanation lies in the application of the sealant, or in the administration’s application of chemicals to the water to kill massive algal blooms that are possibly weakening the bond between the plastic and concrete.
The Trump administration has a history of bringing false charges against a select few people to make a point and silence criticism. During the National Guard’s initial takeover of Washington, D.C., in the summer of 2025, the administration attempted to indict several people, including a man who threw a hoagie at a guard, on felony assault charges, but was thwarted by local grand juries.
It seems a similar tactic is being implemented here. “Anyone who is in a position to vandalize or attempt to vandalize the Reflecting Pool will face the criminal justice system in DC,” said Janine Pirro, a former Fox News host and current U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. told Fox News during the weekend. “Every crime has to be prosecuted. And by identifying even minor crimes, you create an atmosphere or a climate in which people become more respectful.”
