Furious Donald Trump Drains Reflecting Pool and Vows to Punish 'Country-Hating Sleazebags' for Vandalizing Landmark
Donald Trump has confirmed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has been drained and blamed 'vandals' for causing damage.
July 14 2026, Published 8:51 a.m. ET
Donald Trump has lashed out at "country-hating sleazebags" after draining the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool due to vandalism.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the president, 80, has confirmed extensive repairs are underway to fix damage he claims was made by vandals, despite reports of shoddy repair work.
Vandals Will 'Pay Big Price For The Damage Done'
Trump has warned pool vandals will be punished.
The $16million pool project has been dogged by an algae bloom as pieces of the new coating appeared to be peeling off the bottom.
Taking to Truth Social, Trump said: "We drained the beautiful 'Reflecting Pool' today in order to fix the scars and damage that was done by the Vandals two weeks ago."
The Commander-in-Chief added he decided to wait until after the Fourth of July weekend to complete the repairs, claiming the damaging slashes were "300 yards long" and that the floor of the pool "was cut and then pulled upward" by "thugs."
He then warned vandals he believes damaged the pool will now face serious consequences.
Trump added: "These Country hating sleazebags should pay a big price for the damage done."
Cover Up Speculation
Critics claim Trump blaming vandals for damage is a cover-up for shoddy repairs.
He also slammed ABC News anchor David Muir for furthering the theory that the repairs were to fix "peeling paint" and "algae blooms.'"
"There is no paint, it was slashed with a knife, or box cutter, high grade colored waterproofing liner - it was VANDALISM!" he lamented.
RadarOnline.com previously told how Trump sparked rumors of a cover-up by blaming "vandals" for the landmark’s algae issues.
Trump claimed in a video shared to X that somebody had put "fertilizer in the water" and that it had caused the algae to grow rampantly.
"But that doesn’t matter because that’s been purified. It’s dead, laying at the bottom," he shared at the time. "They’re taking it out. They vacuum it out."
Arrests Over Alleged Vandalism
At least five people have been arrested in connection with damage to pool.
Although the Prez said they would need to "let the water out," he clarified that it wasn't "leaking or anything" and should be "back to health" soon.
When asked if the contractors who had completed the renovations were to blame for the condition of the pool, the POTUS denied the workers had done anything wrong.
"No, no, we had vandalism, vandals. We have 100, and we have a- I think, 290, 300 foot slit right through it," he explained. "Probably a box cutter or a knife of some kind."
Officials have said at least five people have been arrested in connection with alleged vandalism of the national monument, per NBC News.
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Trump previously boasted renovations to the pool would hold up 'for at least 50 years.'
"In addition to that, they you know, we put brand new beautiful grass all around. They put these massive letters on the grass. You probably know about that, right? And they said 86, 47. They probably got that from the dirty cop Comey," Trump further alleged, seemingly referring to former FBI Director James Comey sharing a post that read "8647" on social media.
"Dirty cop. He’s a crooked guy," Trump added. "They destroyed the grass. So, that’s a big thing."
Trump previously boasted renovations to the Reflecting Pool would hold up "for at least 50 years" and that someone couldn't "cut it" with a knife because it was "so strong."
