Trump blames vandals as algae-plagued reflecting pool faces possible drainage

On Saturday, President Trump claimed that vandals damaged the algae-plagued Reflecting Pool on the National Mall, insisting that the water must be drained and treated.

Meanwhile, Trump confirmed that the police arrested many additional people for the vandalism, even though the pool was already peeling from the recent renovation.

The recent renovation signals the latest milestone in the president’s efforts to beautify Washington DC with significant architectural changes including the construction of a new White House ballroom.

On Friday, Trump reiterated claims that surfaced in right-wing circles that the pool’s broader problems are a result of vandalism; however, he also linked it to the engraving of “8647” into the grass on the National Mall days a few days ago.

Trump wrote on Truth Social, “We’ve had some real problems with Vendalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool, that the algae were 75% gone and the vandalized area fixed early next week.”

Tourists have flocked to the site in recent days, shooting the video of muddy green water for social media posts that either criticize Trump’s presidency or defend the administration's effort to clean up the capital.

The Interior Department told CNN at the time that the algae were "residual" and a standard preliminary step to restarting water flow. At present, it is unclear whether the material is flexible or what caused it to peel away from button.

Qayla Sykes who visited from Connecticut made a quick stop at the National Mall saying, “ It looks pretty gross. I’ve taken about like 20 pictures already, especially of the people cleaning it, because I don’t know if I’ll ever see this again in my lifetime.”