Trump blames – President Donald Trump said vandals caused algae and peeling paint at the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall, announcing five arrests as repairs and potential draining loom after his $14.7 million renovation.
Green water and peeling paint returned to the spotlight at the Reflecting Pool on Washington’s National Mall, and President Donald Trump quickly put a culprit on the scene: vandals.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on June 22. Trump described the damage as a cut through the pool. saying he has a “290-. 300-foot slit right through it. probably a box-cutter or a knife of some kind.” He said the vandalism happened “very violently. ” and added that five people have been arrested.
Trump directed questions about the criminal investigation and how intentional damage was proven to the National Park Service, which manages the National Mall, and to its parent agency, the Department of the Interior. Neither agency responded immediately to a request for comment.
Federal and local arrests followed shortly after the damage was discovered. A DC task force made five arrests for destruction of government property at the Reflecting Pool from June 17 to June 21. Brady McCarron. a spokesperson for the United States Marshals Service. said. Trump also posted on social media that there is a 10-year prison sentence for destruction—or even attempted destruction—of such property. saying it “will be fully enforced.”.
At the center of the dispute is what happened after Trump’s renovation. The damage came after his $14.7 million overhaul of the iconic pool between the Lincoln and Washington memorials. Trump said the Reflecting Pool was slashed in a way that may require draining water and repairs. The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority issued a permit to drain the 2,000-foot-long rectangular pool for repairs.
“It’s not a lot of damage, but we’ll probably have to let the water out and refix it,” Trump said.
The company that worked on the renovation. Atlantic Industrial Coatings. said the areas requiring repairs were “a very small part of the massive 7-acre project. ” adding they “do not indicate a failure of the liner.” Still. the visible evidence has kept pressure on the pool’s timeline and integrity. especially after Trump’s earlier claims about speed and cost.
Trump’s complaints on the public record have broadened beyond the damage itself. He said the project had been marred by algae and damage to the liner and blamed algae for the water turning green above the pool’s American-flag blue liner on vandals. too. “If you put fertilizer in the water, you get algae,” Trump said. “They did something to create the algae. But that doesn’t matter because that’s been purified. It’s dead, laying at the bottom. They’re taking it out. They vacuum it out.”.
He also criticized a “crazy pro-algae” protester on social media.
Taken together. the sequence of claims adds up to a single narrative: the pool’s visible deterioration is being treated as intentional sabotage. followed by arrests and steps toward drainage—even as the renovation contractor argues the affected areas are limited and do not point to a broader liner problem.
Trump has taken a personal interest in other high-profile projects around Washington. including a White House ballroom. a Triumphal Arch. and the restoration of fountains around the city. But the Reflecting Pool work has become a test case of sorts after a no-bid effort drew attention following Trump’s announcement that it would cost $1.8 million and be completed in a week. The price rose to $14.7 million. and the project’s progress has now been overshadowed by algae and damage to the liner.
For now. the pool’s future hinges on what officials determine from the investigation and what repairs reveal after the water is drained. Trump says the algae has been purified and removed from the bottom. while the permit allows the water to be let out so work can move forward. The National Park Service and the Department of the Interior. which manage and oversee the National Mall. remain central to any official accounting of what happened and why.
Reflecting Pool National Mall vandalism algae peeling paint Trump Atlantic Industrial Coatings United States Marshals Service National Park Service Department of the Interior DC Water and Sewer Authority arrests renovation