Vandals damaged the newly restored Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, President Donald Trump said Friday.
The news comes as National Park Service members have been scrubbing algae from the pool while strips of peeled paint float in the water following weeks of a $14.8 million restoration.
“Things are really looking good in our Nation’s Capital, and add to that the fact that when I became President, Crime was rampant, and now, Washington, D.C., is one of the Safest Cities anywhere in the United States,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday. “However, we’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool, which sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial.”
Trump said vandals have tried to damage both the inside and the outside of the pool.
“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 in the post.
Last week, the numbers “86 47” appeared in the grass near the pool, prompting an investigation. The Trump administration has interpreted the numbers as a call for violence against the president. “86” is slang in the restaurant industry for getting rid of something, while “47” might refer to Trump being the 47th president, The New York Times reported.
Meanwhile, the National Park Service has used chemicals and ozone nanobubbles to counter the algae that had turned the pool bright green. The department also vacuumed out dead algae. Video shows the green algae water being pumped out of the pool.
Crews continue to pump out the dead algae from the reflecting pool. pic.twitter.com/qeS0t02wdv
— Andrew Leyden (@PenguinSix) June 19, 2026
Algae growth has been a problem with the reflecting pool since it first opened in 1922, according to an X post from the Interior Department. The pool also has leaking pipes that disrupt its filtration system, per The New York Times.
In addition to the algae growth, the “American flag blue” paint and sealant are peeling from the bottom of the pool.
Trump said the pool’s damage will be fixed immediately, and law enforcement is investigating the potential vandalism.
“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,” he wrote on Truth Social.
