Trump claims Reflecting Pool was vandalized and says law enforcement is investigating
By Aleena Fayaz, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump on Friday claimed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was intentionally vandalized and said law enforcement is actively investigating, as the administration has scrambled to fix the pool’s recent deterioration just days after Trump’s nearly $15 million renovation.
“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool,” Trump said in a late night post on Truth Social without providing evidence. “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.”
The post comes one day after blue material at the bottom of the pool began peeling off. The Reflecting Pool was painted blue and refilled in recent weeks as part of the pricey renovation ordered by Trump.
The president linked the alleged vandalism at the Reflecting Pool to the mysterious etching of “8647” into the grass on the National Mall days prior.
“Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed. No different than the chemicals that were used on the National Mall, they used something similar in the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work,” Trump claimed.
When used as slang, the number 86 can refer to getting rid of or tossing something out. Trump is currently the 47th president. The phrase has recently been used to signal opposition to Trump.
A new image shows the numbers appearing even bolder than when they were originally discovered etched in the grass on the National Mall in Washington, DC more than a week ago.
The “4” and “6” initially appeared hard to distinguish but now stand out even more. The Interior Department last week moved quickly to address the numbers, which a spokesperson called “deranged vandalism.”
CNN has reached out to the Interior Department and National Park Service for additional information on the change in appearance.
Trump’s Reflecting Pool renovations were initially estimated to cost $1.8 million. The price tag on the project is now up to $14.7 million, according to a contract summary of the Interior Department’s award to Atlantic Industrial Coatings.
The president, in his Friday night post, touted his beautification projects in DC, a primary focus of his second term in office, and slammed Democrats for not fixing the pool sooner.
The-CNN-Wire
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