As Reflecting Pool Paint Peels, Trump Blames Vandals and Authorities Make Arrests

President Donald Trump said Sunday that repairs on the Lincoln Memorial's Reflecting Pool would start right away. The pool had just been through a $14 million renovation, but it quickly filled with green algae and chunks of peeling blue paint. Trump blamed vandals for the mess, and police spent the holiday weekend making arrests and handing out fines to people seen touching the paint.

By Saturday night, five people had been arrested for vandalism, and five more had been given federal citations. A Washington Post reporter saw at least one more citation on Sunday. The details of each case were not fully clear. One person who was charged said he only touched a loose piece of paint but did not pull it off, while another said she picked up a floating piece because she thought it was trash.

A large number of officers were at the pool on Sunday, including Park Police, U.S. Marshals, and sheriff's deputies from several states. They patrolled on foot and on horseback as tourists, runners, and cyclists passed by. Many visitors said they came just to see the peeling paint, not to look at their own reflection.

Trump had promoted the six-week renovation as a fix for years of leaking problems at the pool. The project was also meant to help Washington look its best before the country celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2026. But days after the pool was refilled, it was hit by one of the biggest algae blooms in years, and then the paint began peeling off in large chunks.

On Saturday, Trump claimed that saboteurs had poured harmful chemicals into the water and cut a 250-foot gash into the pool lining. He said the pool would likely need to be drained again. However, Post reporters at the scene on Sunday could not find any gash matching that description, and at least eight officers on patrol could not point one out either.

Former U.S. Olympic cyclist David Hearn was among those arrested and charged with destruction of property. He told The Post he stopped during a bike ride, noticed a piece of lining already coming loose, and reached in to feel it. 'I didn't vandalize anything,' Hearn said. 'By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.'

Law professor Sara Bronin said the government would need to prove in court that anyone charged had meant to cause damage or had actually caused it. She also said officers cannot arrest people simply for touching the water. 'The pool is part of the public infrastructure of the National Mall,' she said, calling any other view 'a bizarre notion.'

Pool expert Steve Goodale said the paint likely peeled because the surface was not prepared correctly before the new lining went in. Groundwater or pool water sneaking under the lining could also be a cause. The Interior Department had not answered questions about why the surface was coming apart.

As Sunday afternoon went on, crowds lined the edge of the pool and took photos of the greenish water. A group of protesters called 'Team Algae,' one dressed as a purple frog, cheered on the algae as a sign of resistance. Nearby residents Jon and Shelly Wiseman called the renovation 'basically a vanity project,' and Shelly, 75, said, 'I feel really powerless.'