President Donald Trump said Friday that vandals had damaged the newly refurbished reflecting pool near the Lincoln Memorial, and that officials are looking into the matter.
His remarks come as the recently restored pool has drawn attention for visible peeling paint and algae growth, only weeks after completion of a $14.8 million renovation.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said the nation’s capital was “really looking good” and claimed that Washington, D.C., had become one of the safest cities in the country after previously struggling with widespread crime.
He added that the “beautiful Reflecting Pool,” located between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, has recently faced what he described as serious vandalism problems.
Trump said the damage included destruction of grass outside the pool several days earlier, along with efforts to harm the newly installed interior surface.
The president accused those responsible of targeting both the surrounding grounds and the pool itself, saying chemicals were used to damage the fresh surface.
He compared the alleged substance to chemicals he said had been used elsewhere on the National Mall, claiming the aim was to ruin and diminish the recent work.
Trump’s statement followed an incident roughly a week earlier in which a large “86 47” message appeared to have been carved into grass on the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial.
Administration officials previously characterized the message as threatening, arguing that “86” is sometimes used as slang for removing or getting rid of something, while “47” refers to Trump as the nation’s 47th president.
Trump announced on June 6 that the $14.8 million restoration project at the historic reflecting pool had been completed. Days later, however, algae appeared throughout the pool, masking portions of the newly restored “American flag blue” bottom.
This week, the National Park Service and contractors deployed chemicals and ozone nanobubbles to help mitigate the algae growth.
Workers also used a swimming pool-style vacuum system to remove algae from the bottom of the pool.
“There are no harmful side effects to marine life or to the environment,” the park service said in a statement this week.
Trump said most of the algae had been removed and that the vandalized area would be repaired by next week.
“The algae is 75% gone, and the condition will soon be completely remedied, and the area that was vandalized, fortunately, is just a small area of damage, and will be fixed early next week,” Trump said.
He also said law enforcement is actively investigating the alleged vandalism. Images posted on social media Friday showed National Guard personnel and U.S. Park Police officers patrolling the area.
Videos posted on social media also appeared to show people gathered near the Reflecting Pool criticizing the renovation project and celebrating the algae growth.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
