Trump Says More Reflecting Pool Arrests Coming: 'These People Are Sick'

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Topline

President Donald Trump again on Friday blamed the deteriorating condition of the Reflecting Pool on vandals, who he described as ripping “a scar 350 feet long” in the pool—allegations many critics deride—and says he expects more arrests to be made.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during the Faith & Freedom Coalition's 2026 Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton on June 26, 2026.

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Key Facts

Trump, speaking at the Faith & Freedom Coalition Policy Conference in Washington DC, said law enforcement has “others in line to be caught” for damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after the Interior Department spokesperson on Thursday said seven people have already been arrested.

Trump claimed vandals used a box knife to cut a gash in the new lining of the reflecting pool, then "would grab this very expensive and very good material” and then “rip it."

Trump’s administration has been claiming all week that problems with an expensive refurbishing of the pool—which has cost $14 million so far—is the fault of vandals, but has been able to produce little to no evidence of such a crime.

U.S. Park Police released a blurry surveillance video Wednesday showing a person kneeling near the edge of the pool and reaching a hand into the water, and asked public for help identifying the person "in connection with a Destruction of Government Property investigation,” but did not specify what they believe the person in the video did.

Trump claims he has seen a slit in the pool lining cut by the vandals, and said the government had pictures that will be shown in court, but no such photos have emerged.

The president has also claimed vandals may have dumped fertilizer or some other substance or chemical into the pool to create the severe algae blooms that plagued the pool almost immediately after the renovation was completed.

Chief Critics

Experts have said it is unlikely vandalism is responsible for the problems with the renovation and said that there are many other, and more likely, possible reasons for the reflecting pool’s issues. Steve Goodale, a swimming pool expert, told PBS News the type of surface coatings used in the reflecting pool renovation "are extremely strong, durable and relatively puncture resistant." He said he has seen no evidence the pool lining was cut by vandals, and said issues with preparing or installing the lining could easily have caused the problems: "It is literally a technical masterclass of challenging conditions," he said. David McFayden, CEO of the paint and inspections services company KTA-Tator, told Scientific American that how the pool was prepared before the coating was applied is worth investigating. FactCheck.org has put together a timeline of documentation during the renovation process and found the new material in the pool had problems before the alleged vandalism. Democrats this week said they want the administration to explain why contracts related to the pool’s renovation were awarded without a bidding process and if the speed of the process contributed to the ongoing problems.

CRUCIAL QUOTE

"These are the people we are dealing with," Trump said of the alleged vandals. "These are the people who want to destroy our country."

CONTRA

Trump earlier had said it would be extremely hard for vandals to damage the pool’s lining. On May 4, weeks before the renovation was done, Trump said of the new coating: "It’s very strong. You couldn’t—if you had a knife—I don’t want to give anybody ideas, if you had a knife, you can’t even cut it, so strong, so powerful.”

Key background

Trump announced in April he wanted to refurbish the Reflecting Pool, which he described as a "dirty disgusting place," ahead of the country's 250th anniversary. He said at the time that the project would add an “American flag blue” paint job to the basin’s surface, cost about $2 million and last up to 50 years. Work took place in the spring and early summer and the pool was refilled in June, but an algae bloom returned just days later, turning the pool a sickly green color. Visitors began seeing signs of damage to the new lining in the following days.