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Trump says Reflecting Pool may need to be drained again for repairs after vandalism

Trump said the 2,030-foot pool may need to be drained after peeling sealant and algae blooms disrupted the $14 million renovation.

  • President Donald Trump announced the Reflecting Pool may be drained for repairs, stating on Truth Social that contractors must likely release much of the water to fix the site's ongoing structural issues.
  • Trump said "multiple individuals" were arrested for intentional vandalism, claiming that bad actors used blades to cut a "250-foot-long gash" into the newly installed lining and poured corrosive chemicals into the water.
  • One high-profile arrest involved a 67-year-old former Olympic canoeist, David Hearn, who was detained by U.S. Park Police for misdemeanor destruction of property after reaching into the water to feel the "rubbery" texture of a piece of paint that was already peeling.
  • Experts say the peeling was caused by the government's own cleanup efforts, explaining that the heavy doses of hydrogen peroxide poured into the water to clear up a massive, bright green algae bloom acted as a powerful paint stripper.
  • The pool's issues follow a highly criticized $14.2 million makeover ordered by the administration to paint the basin's floor "American flag blue" ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary, a project that quickly fell victim to intense environmental and chemical setbacks.
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ReutersReuters
+4 Reposted by 4 other sources
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Trump, blaming alleged vandals, says Washington Reflecting Pool needs repairs

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that much of ​the water at the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ‌in Washington "probably" has to be drained for repairs following what he called "vandalism" of the site.

·New York, United States
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The Independent broke the news in London, United Kingdom on Saturday, June 20, 2026.
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