On Tuesday, Fox News host Laura Ingraham faced backlash for attributing the poor condition of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to ongoing vandalism, which she suggested was encouraged by Democrats.
“Will any Democrat urge people not to vandalize the Reflecting Pool?” Ingraham wrote on X.
President Donald Trump has focused on renovating the Washington, D.C., landmark in preparation for America’s 250th anniversary celebration this summer. Despite a $14 million renovation, the pool’s water has turned green due to algae, and the fresh paint is already peeling.
“Come on Laura, no one has vandalize the Reflecting pool….no one!” José Andrés, celebrity chef and founder of the World Central Kitchen charity, wrote Tuesday on X, with another person plainly demanding: “Provide proof of someone vandalizing the reflecting pool.”
Trump has accused his Democratic predecessors of the pool’s condition and criticized ABC News for not covering past maintenance expenses. He has threatened legal action against ABC for its coverage of his renovation efforts.
He has also attributed the deteriorating paint to alleged vandals, baselessly claiming they “went in there with a knife,” a sentiment echoed by Ingraham in her post. Critics responded with sharp comments directed at both her and Trump.
“We’ve been trying to get Trump to stop but he just keeps messing with it and making it worse,” wrote one user on X. “Here you go: I urge Trump to stop vandalizing govt property by employing people with our tax dollars who don’t know what they’re doing.”
Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press
The no-bid $1.7 million cleaning contract was reportedly awarded by the federal government to Green Water Solutions, a company owned by Trump donor J.J. Cafaro, which is trying to fight the algae with a “nanobubble” filtration system to clearly lacking results.
“If someone else vandalized it then there would be footage of it running 24/7 on Fox,” wrote one user, which another person echoed: “We didn’t want Trump to do it in the first place. And as you know, Ms. Ingraham, the pool is under 24-7 surveillance. It hasn’t been vandalized.”
The pushback on social media was widespread, with many demanding evidence.
