President Trump announced Saturday that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool will likely have to be drained after what he described as deliberate vandalism damaged the landmark less than two weeks after a nearly $15 million renovation was completed.
Trump posted on Truth Social that contractors had assessed the damage and determined the pool would “probably be forced to release and drain much of the water in order to do the necessary repairs.” He said work would be completed “as quickly as possible.”
“They took some form of knife blade and put a 250-foot-long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence and money to build and complete,” Trump wrote. “They also poured corrosive and destructive chemicals into the pool.”
Trump did not provide evidence to support the claims about a knife gash or chemical dumping. The Washington Times reported Sunday that he offered no documentation for either in his Truth Social posts.
Trump also stated that “multiple individuals” had been arrested in connection with the alleged vandalism. As of Sunday, one arrest has been publicly confirmed: David Carter Hearn, 67, a three-time Olympian in cycling and canoeing, was charged with destruction of government property, a charge that carries up to 10 years in federal prison if he is convicted.
Hearn disputed the charge. He told The Washington Post that he stopped near the pool and reached down to pick up a strip of peeling blue paint that was floating among the algae before U.S. Park Police arrested him. He called it a misunderstanding.
The pool’s deterioration began shortly after renovations wrapped up. The water turned green from an algae bloom, and the American flag blue paint applied to the pool’s floor began peeling off. On Thursday, the Interior Department said agency workers had “killed the algae” and described the vacuuming of the pool as the “final maintenance step.” By Friday, however, large clumps of algae were still visible and a significant section of the new coating was missing.
Trump called the damage “a true affront to both Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.”
“Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail!” he wrote.
The renovation project drew scrutiny earlier this year when it was revealed that a construction company with ties to Trump was awarded a no-bid contract to repair and paint the pool floor. The project cost nearly $15 million. The pool, which opened in 1922, is one of several Washington landmarks Trump has renovated as the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary.
