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President Donald Trump is defending his administration’s renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after a highly publicized algae bloom appeared days after the landmark underwent a multimillion-dollar overhaul.
In a Truth Social post late Friday, the president highlighted what he described as a broad beautification effort across Washington, D.C.
“We’ve cleaned, renovated, and beautified over 45 Monuments and Memorials, 28 Statues and 22 Fountains in Washington, D.C. Things are looking really good in our Nation’s Capital,” President Trump wrote.
“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. However, we’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool, which sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial. 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. 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,” he continued.
President Trump also blasted reporting by ABC News concerning the renovations.
“Lightweight ABC Reporter, Jonathan Karl, was seen sticking his hand into the Pool, and trying to rip the rubber off of the surface. 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. 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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he concluded.
The controversy emerged after the National Park Service completed a roughly $16 million renovation that included repainting the basin of the Reflecting Pool in a dark navy shade dubbed “American Flag Blue” ahead of the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary celebrations.
