On Sunday, President Donald Trump again pointed fingers at vandals for the problematic renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, but he also acknowledged a significant gap in the evidence supporting his claims.
Specifically, the absence of any supporting evidence.
“There was substantial other damage to the Reflecting Pool, also but, unfortunately, there is no video or proof, other than the damage, itself,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.
Trump has consistently blamed vandals for alleged damage to the Reflecting Pool while asserting he possessed evidence of such acts.
“We have photographs, or tapes, like moving cameras, right?” he stated a few days prior.
Trump reiterated similar claims on multiple occasions, including in June.
“We also have pictures,” he informed reporters.
When asked to produce this evidence, he indicated it would be revealed at a later time.
“At the right time you’ll see it,” Trump remarked, per CBS News. “You’ll see it in court.”
Ken Cedeno / AFP via Getty Images
Trump expressed anger last week when Jeanine Pirro, formerly a Fox News host and now serving as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, dropped criminal charges against David Hearn, a former Olympic athlete accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool.
Hearn maintained his innocence throughout, and Pirro later released a statement revealing that the damage was due to a flawed installation, not vandalism.
Nonetheless, in a post on Sunday, Trump maintained that a “highly credible witness” from the National Park Service had observed Hearn “violently” damaging the “somewhat delicate coating.”
This claim contradicts other statements made by Trump.
In May, for example, Trump said the lining was “so strong, so powerful” that it couldn’t be cut with a knife. He even drove his motorcade across it while it was being installed to inspect the work.
Alex Brandon – Pool/Getty Images
Trump acknowledged “some contractor error” occurred but described it as “relatively inconsequential.”
The Reflecting Pool was renovated in the spring under Trump’s direction to prepare it for Independence Day festivities. However, the project faced immediate issues, including the lining peeling off and algae growth shortly after reopening.
Trump also blamed vandals for the algae problem.
On Sunday, he announced that the Reflecting Pool would be reopening “shortly.”
