politics
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Partially Drained for Repairs
President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was drained to repair damage from alleged vandals. ABC News anchor David Muir reported the draining occurred for the second time in recent months to address peeling paint and algae blooms.
Jul 14, 3:50 AM·1m read1 source
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The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was partially drained on Monday, July 13, 2026. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that night that the work addressed damage from alleged vandals. He said the pool had to be drained to fix the water tight basin and would be refilled and put back into service soon.
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Trump stated that the alleged vandals made slashes 300 yards long and pulled the pool floor upward with great force. He added that there was no peeling paint but rather a high-grade colored waterproofing liner slashed by a knife or box cutter. Trump also blamed recurring algae blooms on the alleged vandals and called for people to be punished for the damage.
He said he wanted the repair work to wait until after the July 4th weekend. ABC News anchor David Muir reported on the July 13 broadcast of ABC World News Tonight that the pool was drained again on Monday, the second time in recent months. Muir stated that crews were addressing issues including peeling paint and algae blooms.
Trump has a $16 million 2024 settlement from a defamation case against ABC.
