Trump blames – President Donald Trump says vandals caused the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s algae blooms and peeling paint, and he accused ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl of trying to “rip the rubber” off the pool’s surface after Ka
On Friday night, President Donald Trump moved fast from bragging about monument renovations to a new target: vandals.
The newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool—between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial—has been plagued since the work was completed by algae blooms that have left the water a distinct green instead of the intended American flag blue. This week, visitors began noticing paint peeling away from the bottom. Some tourists, Trump said, have even been ripping off pieces of the paint to take as souvenirs.
Trump addressed the situation in a post on Truth Social. He claimed he has “beautified over 45 Monuments and Memorials, 28 Statues, and 22 Fountains in Washington, D.C.” before pivoting to the pool.
“Vandalism,” Trump wrote, describing “real problems” at the reflecting pool. In his post, he blamed unidentified vandals for both damage around the site and damage to the newly installed surface.
He said the vandals “destroyed the grass outside of the Pool” and “also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed.” He added that the problems were driven by chemicals “used something similar in the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work.”
Then came the sharper accusation aimed at ABC News. Trump accused Jonathan Karl—ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent—of “trying to rip the rubber off of the surface,” saying Karl was “seen sticking his hand into the Pool”.
The president’s description appeared to reference a video Karl shot at the reflecting pool on Thursday. In that video. Karl reached into the pool and held up a piece of peeling paint to show viewers the problem. Trump’s claim that Karl attempted to “rip” anything off was not reflected in the way the reporter showed the peeling paint in the video.
Trump also laid out an expected timeline for remediation. He wrote that the algae is “75% gone” and that “the condition will soon be completely remedied,” with the area he said was vandalized to be fixed “early next week.”
He said police are “actively investigating this situation, and will hopefully have it resolved soon.”
In a subsequent post, Trump shared an image of a person standing near the pool wearing a shirt that reads “TEAM ALGAE,” portraying support for his version of what is happening.
The reflecting pool’s renovation, however, has already raised questions beyond the immediate appearance of algae and peeling paint. The pool was renovated by Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based company that received a $13.1 billion no-bid contract.
On Thursday, The New York Times reported that a new water purification system was installed through another no-bid contract. That work was awarded to Greenwater Services, owned by J.J. Cafaro Trust, headed by John J. Cafaro. The reporting also noted that in 2001, Cafaro pleaded guilty to bribing a congressman, a matter he later testified against.
Trump’s decision to frame the pool’s current condition as the work of vandals—while tying it to an ABC reporter’s actions—puts fresh emphasis on a conflict between what he says is deliberate sabotage and what visitors have already been seeing up close: algae changing the pool’s color. peeling paint on the bottom. and tourists taking pieces of paint as souvenirs.
Trump Truth Social Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism algae peeling paint Jonathan Karl ABC News Atlantic Industrial Coatings Greenwater Services no-bid contract
So vandals just… did the algae too? ok.
I heard “ABC” is always poking around with cameras so I’m not shocked. If people are ripping paint off like it’s a souvenir then yeah that’s vandalism I guess. But the algae part feels more like maintenance or chemicals or whatever.
Wait when he says “rip the rubber” is that like literally gloves? Or was Karl in the pool messing with it? Either way that’s kinda wild. Also Trump talking about chemicals used sounds like he’s saying the pool was intentionally messed with before vandals even got blamed.
This is why I don’t trust any of these monument renovations. First it’s green water, then peeling paint, then everyone’s blaming everybody. If visitors are taking chunks of paint that’s nasty but algae doesn’t come from “vandals” overnight, right? Feels like one of those stories where the real cause is hidden in “chemicals” and then they go after some reporter for the clip he filmed. Anyway can’t believe people would touch it for a souvenir.