WASHINGTON — President Trump said Saturday that vandals cut a 250-foot gash into the newly resurfaced Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and poured corrosive chemicals into the water, and that the National Mall landmark would likely need to be drained for repairs.
In a statement, Trump said the perpetrators used a knife or blade to damage the pool’s surface. “They took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250 foot long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete,” Trump said. He said multiple people had been arrested, though only one arrest has been documented in social media video in recent days.
It was not immediately clear what Trump meant by a “gash” in the surface. The reflecting pool was resurfaced this spring with a coating the president has called “American flag blue,” which the Wall Street Journal reported is unlike a typical pool liner — more like a coarse coat of paint than a plastic membrane that could be cut.
The president said the government had met with contractors to discuss draining the pool and expected repairs to be completed quickly. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. The Interior Department and U.S. Park Police also did not return requests for additional details.
The reflecting pool has been plagued since its reopening this month by algae blooms that coated the floor and colored the surface, drawing spectators and online mockery. National Park Service workers have been pouring hydrogen peroxide into the 2,000-foot-long, 3-foot-deep pool and vacuuming the floor in an attempt to clear the algae. Algae thrives in warm, shallow water; changing the basin’s color from gray to navy blue may have made the water warmer, further spurring algae growth, according to the Journal.
Some visitors have taken pieces of the blue coating that floated loose in the water. A local organization has sued the government over the resurfacing job, claiming the Trump administration sidestepped required reviews before starting the project in April. The government finished the work before a judge could rule on whether to halt it.
The $14.7 million renovation contract was awarded to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings without full competitive bidding, the Journal reported. Under federal law, destroying government property carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; minor damage carries up to one year and a $100,000 fine. Trump also said vandals destroyed the grass surrounding the pool.