The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is now empty - but the “300 yards long” gash that President Donald Trump claimed had been caused by vandals is proving difficult to find.
The pool was drained Tuesday, prompting news crews and some curious Washington locals to congregate and attempt to locate the gash in the lining that the White House had said caused algae to rebloom in its waters.
A CNN crew reported they “did not notice any obvious signs of long gashes in the recently installed lining” - but noted they were unable to gain full access to the Reflecting Pool because of fencing. Reporter Jim Acosta also said in a video that there were “no indications of major vandalism. Just a bad paint job.”
On Monday, the president raged in a Truth Social post that “the slashes were 300 yards long, and the floor of the pool was cut and then pulled upward, with great force, by these thugs. The Parks Department had to empty the water in order to fix the water tight basin.”
White House Spokesperson Taylor Rogers responded to the skepticism in a statement, saying, “These observers either didn’t look very hard or have no idea what they are talking about. As the President has explained many times, deranged individuals made several gashes to the side of the pool and destroyed over 300 feet of the pool’s siding. Once the necessary repairs to fix the vandalism are complete, the Reflecting Pool will be restored to all its glory.”
The Independent has asked the National Park Service for comment.
The president accused vandals of damaging the Reflecting Pool in June after the administration spent $15 million on renovations, adding a blue-tinted foam sealant and a liner.
The Reflecting Pool, which has been riddled with problems for years, often has algae across its surface, giving it a greenish tint. While the Trump administration sought to fix that problem with repairs, the algae quickly returned – which the president attributed to vandals.
Trump insisted someone had used a sharp object to cut the newly installed liner. At various times, the president has said the cut was 300 yards, 350 feet, 300 feet and 250 feet.
Joe Flood, a D.C.-based photographer who visited the Reflecting Pool Tuesday, observed “there is no 300 yard long gash that’s been peeled up.”
Matt Rein, an attorney and Democratic National Committee employee, said in an X post that he did “a walk around” the Reflecting Pool and saw “no sign of a ‘350 foot gash,’ let alone any gashes at all.”
Rein added: “A worker even told me that he did not see anything of the sort, either.”
As CNN noted, some of the Reflecting Pool has been blocked by a chain-link fence, making it difficult to view its entirety. That fence could remain in place until early next year, according to federal procurement records reviewed by The Independent.
At least four people have been charged with crimes associated with the alleged vandalism. Among those charged is former Olympian David Hearn, who has pleaded not guilty to destruction of government property.
None of the four have been accused of slashing a hole into the Reflecting Pool’s liner.
Some reports have been skeptical over whether the Reflecting Pool’s algae bloom was the result of vandals or the administration’s quick refurbishment – given the pool’s long history of issues.
The New York Times noted in May that the pool has had documented issues with leaky pipes and cracks in its concrete.
Eric Palkovacs, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, noted in The Conversation last month that the Reflecting Pool’s shallowness means it warms up quickly and, combined with nutrients in the Tidal Basin, promotes algae growth.
But Trump has doubled down on his assertion that vandals are to blame.
In another Truth Social post Tuesday evening, the president railed against ABC News for reporting that the Reflecting Pool was drained to “address Peeling Paint,” calling the story “FAKE NEWS.”
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