President Trump has issued a new statement concerning the Lincoln Reflecting Pool, which recently drew criticism following an expensive renovation.
The President and the Interior Department have been focused on repairing the pool, which Trump states was vandalized last month.
The $16 million renovation aimed to enhance the beauty of Washington, DC, in preparation for America’s 250th anniversary on July 4. However, complications quickly arose.
After painting the pool’s bottom ‘American flag blue’, the water began turning green due to algae, and the paint began to peel off rapidly.
Pieces of the paint soon floated in the cloudy waters, prompting teams to address the issue using ‘nanobubbler technology’, further increasing the project’s cost.
Trump attributed the unsuccessful makeover to ‘vandalism’ and has now provided an update on the situation.
On July 5, Trump posted photos on Truth Social, showing the pool’s reflection of the Washington Monument.
He also called for the capture of the ‘wanted’ vandals responsible.
“The U.S. Park Police is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the individual in the notice below in connection with a Destruction of Government Property investigation related to the Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote.
Additionally, he shared an update from the Interior Department stating that the pool is now free of algae.
“The advanced nanobubbler technology very effectively killed the algae that has plagued every Lincoln Reflecting Pool reopening — most infamously Obama’s reopening — since 1922,” wrote Greg Wischer, founder of Dei Gratia Minerals and Interior’s deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management. He also referenced the Iran war in his letter. “The Reflecting Pool water is crystal clear, and our National Park Service team is now vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom of some parts of the Reflecting Pool — just like the destroyed Iranian Navy resting on the bottom of the Persian Gulf.”
This statement follows the indictment of David Hearn, a former US Olympian, by a grand jury on July 2, for allegedly damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with his hands.
Prosecutors assert that the former Olympic canoeist caused over $1,000 in damage to the recently renovated pool.
In response, his attorneys, Norm Eisen and Mary Dohrmann, have issued a warning, stating: “Davey Hearn is innocent.
“These charges are outrageous and should be alarming to every American. This indictment reflects the Administration’s effort to shift blame for their own failures.”