Like his plans for a White House ballroom and other improvements to the nation’s capital, President Donald Trump’s critics are gleefully finding fault with the recent renovations to the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool.
And while an algae outbreak is now under control, some media outlets have reported apparent paint chips in the coat recently applied to the massive pool.
Trump himself referenced some of these issues in a social media post, asserting that they’ve been exacerbated by an extension of the vandalism widely reported earlier this month.
As The Hill reported:
“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool, which sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post.
Trump referenced a recent incident in which the numbers “86 47” appeared in the grass on the National Mall, just days before his 80th birthday. The phrase has been interpreted as signaling opposition to the president, with 86 being slang for something to get rid of and Trump being the 47th U.S. president.
“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,” Trump wrote in the post. “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.”
Trump said law enforcement is “actively investigating” the vandalism.
This renovation project is part of the president’s beautification efforts in Washington, D.C. — an initiative headed by the Interior Department (DOI).
“We’ve cleaned, renovated, and beautified over 45 Monuments and Memorials, 28 Statues, and 22 Fountains in Washington, D.C.,” Trump wrote in the post, adding that “things are looking really good” in the capital city since his initiative began.
His remarks received significant attention from users on X:
It’s sad that democrats and leftists have such TDS that they can’t even appreciate cleanliness and beauty. They have to destroy everything that has honor and respect. They are total denigrates. If you hate America, get out!
— Special K (@Av8rLady) June 20, 2026
the left would never sabotage public property pic.twitter.com/9RHv9SD6WW
— Leukas the Cancer-Sniffing Dog (@leukas_dog) June 20, 2026
I cannot believe this level of uncivilized behavior! Everybody loses by it!
— V. G. Gleason (@VeraGGG6) June 20, 2026
Here’s some additional coverage of the latest developments, per Fox News:
Trump’s comments come about a week after a large “86 47” message appeared to beetched into the grass near the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial.
Administration officials previously characterized the message as threatening, arguing that “86” is sometimes used as slang for removing or getting rid of something, while “47” refers to Trump as the nation’s 47th president.
Trump announced on June 6 that the $14.8 million restoration project at the historic reflecting pool had been completed. Days later, however, algae appeared throughout the pool, masking portions of the newly restored “American flag blue” bottom.
And here’s some commentary on the leftist critics of Trump’s DC renovations:
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