Topline
President Donald Trump on Sunday night accused vandals of damaging a section of lawn in the National Mall in Washington D.C.—an area that was used to host his July 4 rally—echoing claims he made about the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool despite his administration’s failure to produce any evidence of such vandalism in court.
US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Nassau County Police Academy Center for Training and Intelligence in Garden City, New York.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
In his post on Truth Social, the president shared a photo of a large discolored patch of grass in the National Mall next to the World War II memorial.
Trump wrote “Look what VANDALS did to the grass,” without offering any evidence, and reiterated his earlier claims about the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting pool being vandalized as well.
The post also referenced an arrest made last week in connection to an act of vandalism at the World War II Memorial where someone painted the words “Clean hands dirty $.”
The president ended his post noting that anyone who thinks “the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School,” a remark that echoes his anger at U.S. Attorney for the D.C. Jeanine Pirro decision to drop charges in the pool vandalism case.
news peg
The Associated Press noted that the area of lawn that appears in the photo shared by Trump is same location where a large stage had been built and crowds had gathered for during Trump July 4 rally as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations. The AP report noted that a bandstand and seating areas were present in the location where Trump claims the vandalism took place. The agency’s photos of the event structures being dismantled after independence day also show discolored and damaged patches of grass underneath.
Workers dismantle structures from Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, as seen from the Washington Monument.
Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved
key background
Late last month, the DOJ dropped its criminal case against Olympian and Maryland resident David Hearn, after he was accused by federal prosecutors of “forcefully and violently” ripping parts of the reflecting pool’s renovated floors. The case was filed after Trump reacted to criticism of his multimillion dollar renovation of the pool, which included painting its floor blue. When chunks of paint were seen peeling off the pool floor, Trump claimed this was the result of vandalism. The U.S. Attorney’s office for D.C., however, dropped the charges after noting that evidence made available to them by the Department of the Interior showed that the damage was the result of a “rushed and flawed installation” process involving the pool’s lining. Charges against three other defendants was also dropped.
What Was Trump’s Response To The Dropping Of Charges?
Even as the cases were dropped, Trump doubled down on his vandalism claims and wrote on Truth Social: “I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro…, on the Reflecting Pool. I don’t know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM.” A few days later, Trump criticized Pirro once again while speaking to reporters at the White House. He said the former Fox News host “choked” and “folded like an umbrella,” adding he was “really disappointed” with her decision to drop the case against Hearn. Trump has not yet commented on the remaining cases being dismissed.
tangent
Last week, Pirro announced that a woman named Melissa Farris had been arrested over the alleged World War II Memorial vandalism incident and faces two felony charges. Aside from spray-painting the words “clean hands dirty $,” the defendant allegedly tossed bubbling soap into the fountain at the memorial. On her Facebook page last week, a woman named Melissa Lovewell shared a video of herself using spray paint at the monument and said, “I will wait here to be arrested for spraying our veterans’ fountain.”
further reading
Prosecutors Drop Charges Against 3 Others In Reflecting Pool Case (Forbes)
Trump Doubles Down On Reflecting Pool Vandal Claims—After Pirro Drops Vandalism Case (Forbes)
Trump Admits ‘Some Contractor Error’ In Reflecting Pool Repairs (Forbes)