A fight over one of Washington’s most recognizable landmarks has taken a sharper turn, with US President Donald Trump warning that anyone accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial could face prison as the troubled renovation stirs fresh political controversy.
Mr Trump hired contractors to drain the 610-metre pool and repaint it “American flag blue”. Yet not long after the project wrapped up, the finish started flaking away and algae left the water a cloudy green – problems the president attributed to vandals, though he offered no evidence.
“Of the many statues and fountains that we rebuilt, renovated, cleaned, and fixed, the only one that was vandalised was the Reflecting Pool, which is being taken care of, ASAP!” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform yesterday.
“Please remember that there is a 10-year prison sentence for the destruction, or even the attempted destruction, of such things – which will be fully enforced!” he added.
The Reflecting Pool overhaul has emerged as a political flashpoint
Plagued by algae blooms, peeling paint and water tinged green, the reflecting pool has run into repeated trouble since Mr Trump ordered the renovation – a project opponents have seized on as a symbol of his turbulent leadership and what they describe as a self-regarding extravagance.
Mr Trump, a property developer by profession, has pointed the finger at unnamed “sick, deranged” people, accusing them of vandalising the pool.
Algae has left the Reflecting Pool’s water a murky green
Later yesterday, Mr Trump said on Truth Social that his administration was “preparing lawsuits against ABC,” a national broadcaster, “for false reporting” related to the pool.
The president has pursued a string of projects across Washington aimed at leaving his mark on the capital, led by his costly proposal to construct a vast ballroom at the White House.
That beautification push has faced backlash over the price tag of the works and the opaque way contracts were awarded, at a time when many Americans are grappling with inflation worsened by the war Mr Trump launched with Israel against Iran.
