JUNE 23, 2026
Trump attributes Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool damage to vandalism and announces arrests; evidence has not been released
President Trump attributed deterioration of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool — including peeling paint and algae growth — to deliberate vandalism, describing a gash of varying estimated lengths cut into the pool's surface. The administration spent at least $14 million on a renovation project completed weeks earlier. U.S. Park Police were investigating, and several people who touched the pool or picked up flakes of peeling paint were arrested or detained.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool became the subject of a public dispute after President Trump alleged on Saturday that vandals had cut a "250-foot long gash" into the surface of the pool, which his administration renovated for at least $14 million starting in late April. The renovations involved applying a dark-blue coating to the pool's surface, which Trump said would preserve it for 100 years. Administration officials declared the project complete two weeks ago.
Trump's estimate of the gash's size grew in subsequent public statements: he described it as 300 feet in a Monday morning social media post and 350 feet in a later exchange with reporters in the Oval Office. He also said officials had "pictures" of the damage but directed reporters to the Interior Department for them; the Interior Department did not immediately respond to questions. Trump signaled the pool may need to be drained again for further repairs. A White House official confirmed U.S. Park Police were investigating.
The Washington Post reported that a reporter who walked the entire perimeter of the pool could find no evidence of a gash. The outlet noted that finger-shaped streaks in algae were visible near the pool's edges, that blue paint continued to flake off, and that peeling patches had expanded since the previous week. A long slit visible from the air has been part of the pool for years; a White House official told the Post that was not the gash Trump was describing. The Post also noted that Trump made a similar vandalism allegation about the Rose Garden in 2025, which video later showed was caused by a contractor's broken steel cart.