PRESIDENT Donald Trump has claimed that vandals have targeted the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool just days after the completion of its $14.7million makeover.
The pool has been a headache for the president, who ordered the renovation to fix a long-term leak and fill it with “beautiful, clean” water while also repainting it ‘American Flag Blue’.
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The President has accused vandals of attempting to destroy the landmark with damage to both the pool and the lawn which had the numbers 8647 etched into it Credit: Reuters
Bare patches are visible where newly applied blue paint has peeled from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Credit: AFP
Crews have been deployed to the pool to remove the green algae Credit: Reuters
The makeover that was completed on June 6 has cost $14.7m so far Credit: Reuters
Since the pricey work was completed on June 6, the landmark’s mirror-like waters have turned green after succumbing again to a long-standing problem of algae buildup, and the blue bottom has started coming off in chunks, leaving visible bare patches.
As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, workers have been sent out to the pool to quickly rectify the embarrassing issue, wading in and removing the algae as others poured gallons of hydrogen peroxide into the water.
Now, as the surface of the pool continues to peel off, Trump has turned the blame on apparent vandals who have targeted the monument in an attempt to destroy it.
“We’ve cleaned, renovated, and beautified over 45 Monuments and Memorials, 28 Statues, and 22 Fountains in Washington, D.C.,” he wrote on TruthSocial on Friday.
“However, we’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool, which sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial.
“Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed.
“No different than the chemicals that were used on the National Mall, they used something similar in the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work.”
He added that 75% of the algae in the pool has been removed and the issue “will soon be completely remedied.”
The allegedly vandalized area of the pool suffered “a small area of damage” that will be fixed in the coming days.
The President vowed that a police investigation into the incident is ongoing, connecting the alleged vandalism to the etching of “8647” into the grass on the National Mall—a number used to oppose Trump.
