Trump is trying to blame the “poll reversal” problems on sabotage, without providing any evidence

WASHINGTON (AP) — Paint is peeling off a Washington reflecting pool after a renovation ordered by President Donald Trump, and it’s now claimed someone intentionally damaged it.

“We’ve had some real problems with vandalism at our beautiful reflecting pool,” he said on his social media site Friday night. “Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside the pool, and they also did everything they could to damage the indoor deck that had just been installed.” He did not provide any details to prove his claim.

WATCH: Timeline: Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool refilled with water after Trump painting

The agencies responsible for enforcement and maintenance on the National Mall — the U.S. Park Police, the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior — did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Paint peels from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after recent renovations following directives from President Donald Trump to paint it blue ahead of the 250th anniversary of US independence, in Washington, DC, on June 19, 2026. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Reuters

The Washington Post reported that Park Police officers arrested a person on Friday who they said was peeling paint from the pool, an act that does not explain the clouds of algae in the green water and swathes of blue paint peeling off the bottom.

Trump insisted that something terrible was happening. “No different than the chemicals that were used on the National Mall, they used something similar at the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and degrade our beautiful work,” he said on Truth Social.

Read more: Trump fact-checked on National Mall’s reflecting pool renovations

That was a reference to the discovery of large numbers etched into the discolored grass on the National Mall the week before: “86 47.” Authorities said the numbers may have been intended to threaten Trump, the 47th president. The number 86 could be slang meaning “to get rid of”. They are investigating.

Trump’s claims came after days of negative attention over the condition of the pool, which he has sought to rehabilitate to the tune of more than $14 million for the upcoming America 250 celebrations. The pool was quickly overrun by algae that returned its water to the green color that Trump tried to replace by painting its bottom with the phrase “American Flag Blue.”

Federal workers treated the pool with chemicals to kill algae. Now bits of the blue paint were gone, revealing its rocky bottom.