Seen through algae-laden green water, a tear in the recently applied sealant can be seen on the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 18, 2026 in Washington, D.C.
Oliver Contreras | Afp | Getty Images
PresidentΒ DonaldΒ TrumpΒ on Saturday announced that federal authorities had made “multiple arrests” of people he said were vandalizing theΒ Reflecting PoolΒ as he struggled to explain why theΒ $14-million-plusΒ rehabilitation project he launched for the nation’s 250th anniversary seemingly backfired.
TrumpΒ said his predecessors had let the pool turn an algae-stained green and that he’d line it with “American flag blue” so it better reflected the Washington Monument. But after the new pool was unveiled, its blue tinge quickly became a familiar green. Workers treated it with chemicals to kill the algae, but then the painted blue lining on the bottom began to peel.
On Friday night,Β TrumpΒ posted about the pool.
“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautifulΒ Reflecting Pool,” he posted on his social media site Friday night. “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.”
He offered no details to substantiate his claim.
Agencies responsible for law enforcement and upkeep on theΒ National MallΒ β theΒ U.S. Park Police,Β National Park ServiceΒ andΒ Interior DepartmentΒ β did not respond to requests for comment.Β TrumpΒ on Saturday followed up by sayingΒ Park PoliceΒ “have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nations magnificent Reflecting Poll,” meaning Pool.
He went on: “Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail!”
One man arrested wasΒ David Hearn, 67, ofΒ Bethesda, Maryland, who owned a company that made composite used to build watercraft. He said he stopped by the pool during his 64-mile bike ride Friday to see what was going on.
Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, toldΒ The Associated PressΒ that he reached into the pool to examine the peeling new coating. He said he briefly touched a chunk that was still attached to the side of the pool, then let go shortly after a park worker told him to.
But, Hearn said, he was then detained byΒ National GuardΒ troops andΒ Park PoliceΒ for five hours before being released Friday night.
“I’m a curious citizen,” Hearn said in a telephone interview. “I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery.”
TheΒ Washington PostΒ first reported Hearn’s arrest, and he said he has a court date next month and is seeking legal help.
Even if someone pulled ribbons of paint from the side of the pool, it would not explain theΒ clouds of algae in green waterΒ and swaths of loose blue paint detached from the bottom.
TrumpΒ insisted something nefarious has been going on at the scene. “No different than the chemicals that were used on theΒ National Mall, they used something similar in theΒ Reflecting PoolΒ to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work,” he posted Friday evening.
The numbers “86 47” on the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, June 11, 2026. The mixed Ultimate Fighting Championship event on White House grounds planned for June 14 violates National Park Service environmental review regulations, two Virginia residents allege in a lawsuit challenging it.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
That was an apparent reference to the discovery of large numbers etched in discolored grass on theΒ National MallΒ the week before: “86 47.” Authorities said the numbers could have been meant as a threat toΒ Trump, the 47th president. The number 86 can be slang for “getting rid of.” They are investigating.
Trump’s claims came after days of negative attention to the pool’s condition, which has drawn television cameras and curious onlookers.