WASHINGTON DC — Donald Trump claimed on June 22, 2026, that vandals damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. He stated five individuals were arrested for vandalism, with five more under investigation. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool recently underwent a $14 million renovation.

Trump alleged that knives were used in the damage, stating, "It's not a lot of damage, but we'll probably have to let the water out and refix it. They went in there with a knife." He initially described the damage to the paint as a slit between 290 and 300 feet, later amending the description to a 350-foot slit. Trump also claimed that someone introduced fertilizer into the water, resulting in algae growth.

A worker cleaned the waters of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington D.C. on June 22. Trump directed reporters to contact the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service for evidence supporting his claims. The bottom of the pool was painted in a shade named "Old Glory Blue."

Algae appeared in the pool and the applied paint coating began to detach within days of the renovation's completion. Trump awarded a no-bid contract for the pool renovation to a company he stated had previously worked on swimming pools at one of his golf clubs. A spokesperson for the DC Water Authority said the agency issued the National Park Service a temporary permit on June 16, expiring on July 2, allowing the discharge of water into a sewer directed to a local treatment facility.