After President Trump claimed that the recently painted Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial had been vandalized — he claimed someone damaged the lining at the bottom of the pool, possibly with a knife or boxcutter — his U.S. Attorney for the District of D.C., Jeanine “Judge Jeanine” Pirro echoed the President’s claims on Fox News, where she used to work.
Pirro warned: “Anyone who is in a position of vandalizing or attempting to vandalize will face the criminal justice system in D.C.”
.@USAttyPirro: “Anyone who is in a position of vandalizing or attempting to vandalize the Reflecting Pool will face the criminal justice system in D.C.” pic.twitter.com/IcE1fdAlWt
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 21, 2026
Trump also said he believed vandals may have added fertilizer to the water to produce the algae blooms that have grown in the pool since its refurbishment. Of the damage to the pool, including what he alleged was a “350 foot gash,” Trump wrote that it “was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night.”
U.S. Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) questioned the seriousness of the allegations and responded: “I guarantee that Judge Jeanine will not charge anyone for dumping chemicals into the reflecting pool. Because if they had any evidence they would be parading it around 24/7.”
Lieu added: “The reality is Trump screwed up the reflecting pool by overpaying on a no bid contract to an amateur.”
Lieu has also amplified a bulletin released by the U.S. Park Police which said it’s “seeking assistance in identifying the individual depicted here in connection with a Destruction of Government Property investigation. The incident occurred on June 19, 2026, at approximately 3:36 p.m. at the Reflecting Pool.”
THANK YOU FOR CONFIRMING:
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 25, 2026
1. There are cameras monitoring the Reflecting Pool.
2. No one entered and made a 350 foot gash.
3. No one dumped massive amounts of fertilizer into a 6.5 million gallon pool.
Because if anyone did, trump would be shoving that video in our faces. https://t.co/wkHShUt58m
Lieu added: “THANK YOU FOR CONFIRMING: 1. There are cameras monitoring the Reflecting Pool. 2. No one entered and made a 350 foot gash. 3. No one dumped massive amounts of fertilizer into a 6.5 million gallon pool. Because if anyone did, trump would be shoving that video in our faces.”
