{"id":2801,"date":"2026-06-22T17:39:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T17:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2801"},"modified":"2026-06-22T17:39:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T17:39:53","slug":"trump-accuses-vandals-of-wrecking-16-million-reflecting-pool-paint-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2801","title":{"rendered":"Trump accuses \u2018vandals\u2019 of wrecking $16 million reflecting pool paint job"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>President Trump Monday accused \u201cvandals\u201d of wrecking his botched $16 million paint job and rehab of the reflecting pool in Washington D.C, but there is scant evidence that any criminal activity is responsible for the unsightly green algae bloom and peeling paint.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2799\">Clive Davis, music impresario who launched careers of Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys and many other stars, dies at 94<\/a><\/p>\n<p>He blamed tourists for allegedly grabbing pieces of peeling \u201cAmerican flag blue\u201d paint from the bottom of the troubled landmark just a couple of weeks after he ordered it repainted with much fanfare and blamed previous administrations with failing to properly maintain it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe \u2026. one that was Vandalized was the Reflecting Pool, which is being taken care of, ASAP!\u201d Trump wrote on his social media site. \u201cIt has been given a 300 foot long gash, chemicals have been illegally placed in the water.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump also claimed that criminals somehow managed to use chemicals to create what he considers to be a threatening message in a nearby field.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe beautiful new grass field has been destroyed with a gigantic 86 47 chemically carved into it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro vowed to prosecute a handful of people who received misdemeanor summonses, including a three-time American Olympian who was detained over the weekend after he dipped his hand in the water to touch the peeling paint.<\/p>\n<p>Journalists like ABC News\u2019 Jonathan Karl also touched the paint as they investigated the bungled renovation project, one of many projects like the $600 million White House ballroom that Trump has launched to remake the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2797\">Uber-backed electric bike firm lime seeks $180.9 million in IPO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The reflecting pool project has been widely criticized because Trump spent $14 million in taxpayer money on a no-bid contract to repaint and repair the pool on the National Mall in time for July 4 when the nation marks its 250th birthday.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>He used authority usually reserved for urgent repairs to fast track the deal with a contractor who previously did work on a Trump golf resort. A Trump donor and Palm beach neighbor got a separate $1.7 million contract to clean the algae.<\/p>\n<p>Within a few days, the gleaming bright-blue pool turned bright green as algae took over the water. Workers were dispatched to scrape the algae from the bottom and used chemicals to kill the blooms.<\/p>\n<p>The repairs only seem to have made things worse as the new paint started peeling in large chunks that floated to the top.<\/p>\n<p>Trump now says the pool will likely need to be drained again and repainted, a cost that taxpayers will likely bear.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2795\">Bay Area man accused of setting RV ablaze during hourslong police standoff<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump also claimed that criminals somehow managed to use chemicals to create what he considers to be a threatening message in a nearby field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2800,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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