Trump Blames Vandalism, Not Peeling Paint, for Drained Reflecting Pool

Trump disputes an ABC News report and says vandals slashed the Lincoln Memorial landmark, promising a quick repair.

First Published: July 14, 2026, 5:04 AM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump accused ABC News of misreporting why crews drained the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, saying vandals caused the damage rather than deterioration. Trump said someone slashed the pool’s high-grade waterproofing liner with a knife or box cutter. He promised a quick repair and said the landmark would look better than before.

Here is the full post on Truth Social: “ABC Fake News and its shaky anchor, David Muir, said that the Reflecting Pool was drained to address Peeling Paint (there is no paint, it was slashed with a knife, or box cutter, high grade colored waterproofing liner – it was VANDALISM!) and Algae Blooms (also caused by Vandals, but removed long ago!). In other words, the story was FAKE NEWS, but heavily slanted away from the real cause of the problem, Vandalism. It will be fixed soon, and better than ever. 60 monuments and fountains have been cleaned and fully renovated in D.C., and crime is at record lows! Washington has never looked better, or been safer! President DJT” on July 13, 2026 at 10:53 PM ET.

This is the first message Trump released today. On average, Trump produces roughly 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025.

The post ties one site to a broader claim about the capital. Trump said crews have cleaned and fully renovated 60 monuments and fountains in Washington and that crime sits at record lows. He named ABC News chief anchor David Muir as the source of what he called a slanted account.

The stakes fall on two audiences. Supporters of the cleanup effort gain a symbol of restored order in the capital, while ABC News faces a public charge of inaccurate reporting from the president. The dispute centers on cause, an act of vandalism versus routine maintenance, and that distinction shapes who bears responsibility for the damage.

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool stretches more than 2,000 feet between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument on the National Mall. The National Park Service manages the site and has drained it repeatedly over the decades to fight algae, structural cracks, and water-quality problems. A complete reconstruction in 2011 and 2012 cost about $34 million.

The White House grounds are pictured in Washington, D.C. on 07/13/2026.

For the average reader, the fight matters less for the pool itself than for the message about safety in a city that draws millions of visitors each year. Restored landmarks and falling crime, if accurate, reach tourists and residents at the sites they visit and the streets they walk.

Has this happened before? It has. Trump has repeatedly cast his administration’s actions in Washington as a rescue of a neglected capital, and he has clashed with national broadcasters over their coverage many times. He singled out ABC News before, and the network settled a defamation suit with him in December 2024 for $15 million directed to his future presidential library.

The next move rests with the National Park Service, which oversees repairs to the Reflecting Pool. Officials have not announced a date for the completed fix.

Presidents feuding with the press over the state of the capital is not new. In the 1970s, the National Mall’s pools and lawns fell into visible disrepair, prompting a federally funded restoration ahead of the 1976 bicentennial that cost tens of millions of dollars. The improvements drew crowds back to the Mall, and the officials who championed the work claimed credit for reviving the nation’s front lawn. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 20 of his 538 posts over the last 30 days focused on crime.