President Donald Trump said U.S. Park Police arrested multiple people for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after algae and peeling material appeared following a taxpayer-funded renovation.
The claim came as David Hearn, a 67-year-old former U.S. Olympic canoeist from Bethesda, Maryland, denied damaging the pool after authorities arrested him Friday near the site, according to ESPN.
“Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Federal agencies had not publicly confirmed the number of arrests as of Sunday morning. The U.S. Park Police, National Park Service, Interior Department, and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Arrest Near The Pool
Hearn told The Associated Press he stopped by the pool during a 64-mile bike ride because he wanted to inspect the peeling new coating. He said he briefly touched a chunk that remained attached to the side of the pool and let go after a park worker told him to stop.
“I’m a curious citizen,” Hearn said. “I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery.”
Hearn said National Guard troops and Park Police detained him for about five hours before releasing him. The Washington Post identified Hearn as the man arrested Friday and reported that he faces a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property, with a July 9 court date, ABC News reported.
“I didn’t vandalize anything,” Hearn told the Post.
Costly Renovation Draws Scrutiny
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Reflecting Pool had already drawn scrutiny after algae and peeling material appeared less than two weeks after Trump announced the completion of the renovation.
The repainting job cost more than $14.65 million, exceeding the original estimated cost of the no-bid contract by more than $4 million, according to federal contract data cited by ABC News. The National Park Service also paid $1.74 million to Green Water Solutions for a nanobubble system intended to fight algae, bringing the project total to more than $16 million between two contractors.
Trump said work would begin “immediately” to repair the peeling lining. In a separate post, he said contractors would “probably” need to drain much of the pool for repairs.
Trump also alleged that vandals poured corrosive chemicals into the water and cut a 250-foot gash into the surface. He did not publicly provide evidence for those claims, and it was not immediately clear whether authorities had tied Hearn to any alleged chemical damage or broader vandalism allegations.
The Reflecting Pool has drawn visitors and social media attention in recent days as workers have tried to address algae and sections of peeling blue coating.
The issue now leaves two questions unresolved: how much of the damage resulted from alleged vandalism, and how much came from problems after the renovation.
