Topline
President Donald Trump has gradually increased the severity of the damage he claims vandals caused to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool—but the pool was drained again this week, and photos and video of the empty basin do not appear to show any gashes in the liner to support Trump’s claims.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is shown after being completely drained on July 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Trump said Monday on Truth Social that “vandals” made slashes in the pool liner stretching “300 yards long” then pulled the liner upward with “great force,” his latest claim of intentional damage to the pool as his controversial renovation project has been fraught with algae issues and visibly peeling liner.
Trump initially said in a June 20 Truth Social post the alleged gash in the pool was 250 feet long, then said on June 22 it was 300 feet long, and claimed later that day in an interview with CBS News the gash was 350 feet long.
The pool was drained again Monday “in order to fix the scars and damage that was done by the Vandals two weeks ago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Photos and video of the drained pool do not show any signs of the 300-yard gash Trump described, multiple outlets reported.
There are some visible, parallel markings that extend from one side of the pool to the other, and some social media users have questioned whether they were made by Trump’s motorcade, which drove the length of the pool on May 7, after the new liner was installed and before it was refilled with water.
Some previous photos of the reflecting pool taken last month show sections of the new blue surface peeling off in chunks, though it’s not apparent the loose pieces were caused by “vandals” cutting the floor.
Forbes has reached out to the White House.
Tangent
Trump said in May, before the reflecting pool reopened last month, that the liner is “very strong . . . if you had a knife, you can’t even cut it, it’s so strong, so powerful, it’s like powerful rubber. It is beautiful. Sealed.” Trump also disputed claims on Monday that the reflecting pool had been painted, claiming “there is no paint” and instead was covered with “high grade colored waterproofing liner.”
Key Background
The Trump administration has not produced any evidence to support Trump’s claims that vandals damaged the pool and caused the liner to peel in some places. Trump has also alleged that people dumped fertilizer into the water to produce algae—which has been a persistent issue in the pool for years. At least seven people have been arrested or charged in connection with the alleged vandalism, including former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who pleaded not guilty to the charges last week. Prosecutors allege Hearn was seen “forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner” of the reflecting pool last month. Hearn told NBC News previously he stopped at the pool on a bike ride out of “curiosity” over what was happening with the controversial project and touched a piece of the detached liner, but did not remove or damage it. Trump initially estimated the reflecting pool renovations, which began in April, would cost $1.8 million, but the costs have skyrocketed to more than $15 million.
further reading
Trump Repeats Claim ‘Vandals’ Damaged Reflecting Pool—As It Gets Drained Again (Forbes)