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President Trump said on Friday evening that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was vandalized, amid reports of an algae bloom and peeling paint just two weeks after the multi-million-dollar project’s completion.
“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool, which sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post.
Trump referenced a recent incident in which the numbers “86 47” appeared in the grass on the National Mall, just days before his 80th birthday. The phrase has been interpreted as signaling opposition to the president, with 86 being slang for something to get rid of and Trump being the 47th U.S. 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,” Trump wrote in the post. “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 said law enforcement is “actively investigating” the vandalism.
This renovation project is part of the president’s beautification efforts in Washington, D.C. — an initiative headed by the Interior Department (DOI).
“We’ve cleaned, renovated, and beautified over 45 Monuments and Memorials, 28 Statues, and 22 Fountains in Washington, D.C.,” Trump wrote in the post, adding that “things are looking really good” in the capital city since his initiative began.
Since the Reflecting Pool project was completed, an algae growth has turned the 2,028-foot pool green. National Park Service (NPS) workers have deployed hydrogen peroxide to combat this spread, in addition to an advanced filtration system, a DOI spokesperson told The Hill this week.
Additionally, there have been several reports that the new “American flag blue” coating installed at the president’s request has been peeling off of the pool’s base.
The president said in his Friday post that 75 percent of the algae is gone and that the growth “will soon be completely remedied.”
“The area that was vandalized, fortunately, is just a small area of damage, and will be fixed early next week,” he continued. “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. Law Enforcement is actively investigating this situation, and will hopefully have it resolved soon.”
The Hill has reached out to the DOI and NPS for comment.
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