President Trump said Sunday, June 22, that the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall will be drained again — claiming, without providing evidence, that vandals damaged it following a recent renovation and repainting.
Trump made the claim publicly, though he offered no documentation, photographs, or agency confirmation to back the vandalism allegation. The White House didn’t immediately detail what the damage consisted of or when it allegedly occurred.
The Reflecting Pool, the long rectangular basin stretching between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, underwent a costly renovation before being refilled. Draining it again would repeat a process that carries its own logistical and financial weight — though Trump didn’t specify a timeline or cost estimate for the new work.
No federal agency — not the National Park Service, which oversees the National Mall, nor any law enforcement body — had publicly confirmed any vandalism as of Sunday morning. The pool sits in one of the most heavily monitored stretches of public land in the country.
Trump did not name any suspects or describe the nature of the alleged damage. The claim came without an accompanying statement from the Interior Department or Park Service.
Whether the draining will proceed on a specific schedule, and what it would cost, hasn’t been announced.
