President Donald Trump demands serious consequences for those accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The administration says the pool will likely be partially drained before or after the Fourth of July for permanent repairs. What began as a rushed effort to beautify Washingt on ahead of America’s 250th birthday has evolved into a renovation guarded by surveillance trucks. Trump is touting new vandalism arrests as authorities increase security around the troubled $16 million Reflecting Pool renovation. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) The area is now heavily patrolled by multiple agencies that have made several arrests in the last week. The president celebrated the arrest of six people. Several others received federal citations. Authorities have since expanded security around the pool. Additional officers and surveillance equipment were deployed to catch anyone allegedly tampering with the site. ‘The Truth Is Under There’: Trump Accused of Hiding More Than His Name as Kennedy Center Tarps Stay Up Weeks After Judge’s Removal Order ‘Disaster’: Trump’s Reflecting Pool Nightmare Takes Another Turn, as the Algae Controversy Leads to an Even More Embarrassing Discovery Trump shared a Truth Social post detailing the damage he claimed to have assessed. “The 350-foot gash, made by a very sharp knife or razors, is actually numerous slashes over a very long 350-foot length,” he began. “It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night, to create such a condition. He added that “the small area at the bottom of the Pool was cut and powerfully lifted off the surface, leaving very jagged, uneven edges.” Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump announced the arrests and revealed more suspects remain under investigation, promising accountability for what he insists was deliberate sabotage rather than a failed renovation. Trump: I can't help it if somebody goes in with a knife and starts hacking it up. Uh… and we also have pictures of it.Q: Can you release the photos?Trump: At the right time you'll see it. You'll see it in court. pic.twitter.com/7VRXSLqfO3— FactPost (@factpostnews) June 22, 2026 “I can’t help it if somebody goes in with a knife and starts hacking it up,” Trump told reporters. When CBS News correspondent Ed O’Keefe pressed him on whether the administration had any evidence that vandals had cut the liner, Trump insisted that photographs exist when CBS News correspondent Ed O’Keefe pressed him for evidence but declined to release them. He then offered another explanation for the pool’s now-infamous algae bloom. “They put, somebody said, fertilizer in the water,” he claimed. “If you put fertilizer in the water, you get algae. But somebody said they might’ve put fertilizer.” The administration has not publicly released any evidence that anyone cut the liner or dumped fertilizer into the water. However, six people have reportedly been arrested and are currently under investigation. That hasn’t stopped security from ramping up. Videos on Threads show a mobile surveillance truck stationed near the pool. National Guard troops, U.S. Park Police, U.S. Marshals, and officers from multiple agencies have flooded the area in recent days. View on Threads The expanded security quickly became another story. “Oh, this is just embarrassing. They brought in a mobile surveillance truck to protect the Reflecting Pool from imaginary vandals Trump conjured to deflect from his incompetence. They got endless resources for this dumb s—t but they’re broke when it comes to healthcare or housing,” one person wrote. Another questioned the move, asking, “Arent there already 24/7 surveillance cameras there for Christ sake.” Someone else agreed, writing, “There are already 24 hour surveillance cameras there, they are stupid.” But at least one of those arrested hardly resembles the saboteur the president described. David Carter Hearn, a 67-year-old Maryland resident and three-time U.S. Olympic canoeist. He stopped during a bike ride to inspect the damage after seeing news coverage. Officers arrested him and charged him with destroying government property after he touched a loose strip of blue liner peeling off in the water. “I was just a curious, concerned citizen,” Hearn told The New York Times. “I guess I was there at the wrong place, wrong time.” Footage from another arrest shows a man questioned by their reporters, moments after being handcuffed. He claimed he was upset that Oklahoma state troopers were in Washington policing the pool. View this post on Instagram A post shared by TMZ (@tmz_tv) One Threads user questioned the entire operation. “And the cops are all just gonna pretend like this is reasonable?” the person wrote. “They’re gonna pretend like this isn’t nuts?” The Reflecting Pool reopened June 9 after a fast-tracked, $14 million renovation. Trump chose an “American flag blue” waterproof coating to refresh the landmark ahead of next year’s celebrations. But within days, the water turned bright green from an algae bloom, and the coating began peeling from the seven-acre basin. Workers treated the 6.7 million gallons of water with hydrogen peroxide to combat the algae. At least one dead duckling was later found floating in the pool. Experts have not linked the duck’s death to the peroxide. Contractors acknowledged portions of the coating failed. One person predicted, “And then he’ll hire someone to act like they’re vandalizing the reflection pool so he can say they caught him on camera. Covering up his own failure. Staged just like everything else!” Whether prosecutors prove Trump’s claims of coordinated vandalism remains to be seen. What is already clear is that a project meant to showcase one of the nation’s most treasured landmarks has turned into a costly spectacle. Peeling liner, floating algae, surveillance trucks, and a political blame game have overshadowed the renovation, with no signs of slowing down. ‘This Is Nuts!’: Trump Brags Over Wave of Reflecting Pool Arrests — And Police Responded With Jaw-Dropping Way to Hunt Down Offenders ...read more read less