President Donald Trump said the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool was drained Monday for repairs and that it “will be refilled and back in service soon,” again claiming vandals damaged the pool’s lining.
CNN noticed that most of the water had been drained, exposing dried sediment, algae and some debris on what was supposed to be a newly renovated monument painted in what Trump previously called “American flag blue.”
Since Trump called for a renovation of the pool in April, the more than $14 million project has been plagued by massive algae blooms, greenish-colored water, a chipping bottom and accusations of vandalism.
The President said Monday night on Truth Social: “Today we drained the beautiful Reflecting Pool to repair the scars and damage caused by vandals two weeks ago.”
“The cuts were 300 yards long, the bottom of the pool was cut open and then torn upward with great force by these thugs,” Trump wrote in his post.
Trump’s latest claim that the cuts in the cladding were “300 yards long” – which is 900 feet, or the length of three football fields – is significantly longer than his past claims, which have increased in length several times.
He initially called it a 250-foot cut and later stated that “there were actually multiple cuts over a very long length of 350 feet.”
A CNN team visited the pool late Monday and did not notice any obvious signs of long cuts in the newly installed liner, but they were unable to access the entire length of the pool due to fencing that had been installed around much of the landmark.
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Drained
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Drained
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CNN contacted the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service and the U.S. Park Police to see if they found cut marks on the pool liner now that most of the pool has been drained.
“The Parks Department had to drain the water to fix the waterproof pool,” the president said Monday night. “It will be replenished and put back into service soon. These scoundrels who hate the country will have to pay a heavy price for the damage caused.”
Later Monday evening, Trump posted another message, complaining about news reports about the pool and insisting that the liner “was cut with a knife or a utility knife” and that even the algae bloom was “caused by vandals.”
In recent weeks, at least three people have been charged with destruction of property after allegedly removing pieces of blue paint from a swimming pool – all of whom recently pleaded not guilty. And former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, facing the same charge, pleaded not guilty last week.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a July 5 interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the government can “absolutely” prove the damage was caused by vandals and that there are photos to back up that claim. But he dodged a question about whether the photos showed someone damaging the pool.
Bergum said in a podcast last week that crews began draining the pool after the Fourth of July fireworks display, noting that some of the fireworks debris was still in the water.