President Donald Trump has acknowledged for the first time that a construction error occurred during the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which is now undergoing another round of expensive repairs.
The iconic Washington, D.C. landmark originally cost more than $16 million to renovate, but officials had to drain the pool again shortly after the Fourth of July. The draining was prompted by the peeling of an American-flag-blue liner, a feature specifically ordered by Trump.
Initially, Trump blamed "vandals" for the damage. However, after several individuals were accused, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia dropped all charges against them. In response, Trump publicly criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, demanding that she "re-visit her hastily made decision."
On Sunday night, Trump shifted some of the responsibility toward the project's contractors. In a post on Truth Social, the president announced that the reflecting pool "will be open shortly" once the latest round of work is finished.
"As with many jobs, there was also some contractor error done by rushing the job for a July 4th opening, but it was a very small area of this massive Pool, and was relatively inconsequential," Trump wrote.
Despite the lack of video evidence supporting the vandalism narrative, Trump did not entirely abandon his previous claims. He asserted that former Olympian David Hearn was observed by a National Park Service worker "violently" tearing at the pool's lining. However, another Park Service employee contradicted this, stating that the pool was already damaged before Hearn ever touched it.
According to a July 31 court filing, prosecutors concluded that the damage "was the result of flawed installation by the contractor … and the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026."
Pirro's office also alleged that the Department of the Interior withheld critical information regarding the damage. When officials from the U.S. Attorney's Office inspected the site on July 17, they discovered "extensive damage throughout" and requested records concerning the installation. Those documents revealed a rushed process marked by repeated lining failures and widespread peeling.
Trump added that once the current renovations are completed, additional security cameras will be installed around the reflecting pool area.
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