President Trump said the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was vandalized, comments that come on the heels of an algae bloom and peeling paint after the more than $14 million renovation.
He said via Truth Social on Friday evening that “we’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool.”
Mr. Trump referred to “86 47” etched into the grass on the National Mall — a phrase meaning remove the 47th president.
“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,” the president said. “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.”
The blue coating at the bottom of the pool was seen peeling off and floating to the green-tinted, algae-ridden surface of the pool less than two weeks after the multimillion-dollar restoration was completed.
Thin flaps of what appears to be blue paint or sealant were seen bobbing on the pool’s surface, which had been hit with an algae growth just days before.
Mr. Trump contended that the vandalized section is “just a small area of damage, and will be fixed early next week.”
Images posted on social media showed National Guard and U.S. Park Police officers patrolling the area Friday.
Independent journalist Emily Miller on Friday said someone jumped into the pool and cut out a piece of the blue sealant before being arrested by police.
Another video shared Friday by Ms. Miller showed former Olympic canoeist David Hearn speaking with National Guard personnel on the outskirts of the pool and being handcuffed by park police officers.
Mr. Hearn said that when he saw material that was partially detached from the pool bottom, he reached into the water to see what it felt like. Moments later, he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property.
“I didn’t vandalize anything,” Mr. Hearn, 67, who is from Bethesda, Maryland, and competed in three Olympics, told The Washington Post. “I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.”
He is scheduled to appear in D.C. Superior Court on July 9.
Ms. Miller claimed that he grabbed the hose that female National Park Service workers were using to clear the algae.
A follow-up post by Ms. Miller said Mr. Hearn was arrested for a traffic violation and that police asked the cyclist if he stopped at red lights.
“It’s a shame that the Radical Left Lunatics, most likely Dumocats, who have spent their lives trying to ruin our Country, are free to do so,” Mr. Trump said. “Law Enforcement is actively investigating this situation, and will hopefully have it resolved soon.”
The National Park Service also began combating the bloom by pouring in containers of 12% hydrogen peroxide and nanobubble ozone technology.
Mr. Trump said the algae is 75% gone, and “the condition will soon be completely remedied.”
The president’s project was meant to present visitors with “American flag blue” water.
The Washington Times has reached out to the U.S. Park Police for comment.
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