Trump accuses 'vandals' of wrecking $16M reflecting pool paint job

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Jun 22, 2026

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President Donald Trump Monday accused “vandals” of wrecking his botched $16 million paint job and rehab of the reflecting pool in Washington D.C, but there is scant evidence that any criminal activity is responsible for the unsightly green algae bloom and peeling paint.

He blamed tourists for allegedly grabbing pieces of peeling “American flag blue” paint from the bottom of the troubled landmark just a couple of weeks after he ordered it repainted with much fanfare and blamed previous administrations with failing to properly maintain it.

“The …. one that was Vandalized was the Reflecting Pool, which is being taken care of, ASAP!” Trump wrote on his social media site. “It has been given a 300 foot long gash, chemicals have been illegally placed in the water.”

Trump also claimed that criminals somehow managed to use chemicals to create what he considers to be a threatening message in a nearby field.

“The beautiful new grass field has been destroyed with a gigantic 86 47 chemically carved into it,” he added.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro vowed to prosecute a handful of people who received misdemeanor summonses, including a three-time American Olympian who was detained over the weekend after he dipped his hand in the water to touch the peeling paint.

Journalists like ABC News’ Jonathan Karl also touched the paint as they investigated the bungled renovation project, one of many projects like the $600 million White House ballroom that Trump has launched to remake the nation’s capital.

The reflecting pool project has been widely criticized because Trump spent $14 million in taxpayer money on a no-bid contract to repaint and repair the pool on the National Mall in time for July 4 when the nation marks its 250th birthday.

He used authority usually reserved for urgent repairs to fast track the deal with a contractor who previously did work on a Trump golf resort. A Trump donor and Palm beach neighbor got a separate $1.7 million contract to clean the algae.

Within a few days, the gleaming bright-blue pool turned bright green as algae took over the water. Workers were dispatched to scrape the algae from the bottom and used chemicals to kill the blooms.

The repairs only seem to have made things worse as the new paint started peeling in large chunks that floated to the top.

Trump now says the pool will likely need to be drained again and repainted, a cost that taxpayers will likely bear.

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