President Donald Trump said the Interior Department would release visual evidence of vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, doubling-down on his previous statements and telling reporters “somebody went in with a knife and cut it” shortly after announcing arrests and citations for vandalism at the site.
Trump said the Reflecting Pool would be repaired either immediately before or after the Fourth of July.
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Earlier on Tuesday in a post on Truth Social, Trump said six people were arrested and seven issued citations for vandalism for making what he called a “350 foot gash.”
Trump claimed, without offering visual evidence, the recently renovated pool was cut with “a very sharp knife or razors,” insisting “somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night, to create such a condition.”
Speaking with reporters later, the president said evidence would eventually be released, claiming the gash was made by cutting “in the form of lots of little slits.”
The president offered no further details on the identities of the individuals arrested.
He again said the pool would need to be partially drained for repairs, which would take place “immediately before or after the Fourth of July.”
When asked for comment, the Department of the Interior referred to a post on X, which reiterated the same statement about arrests and citations and said U.S. Park Police were “conducting an ongoing investigation” into the damage.
Trump previously told reporters on Monday that five people were arrested and another five were “under investigation,” which he called a “sad thing.” The president guessed the perpetrators used “probably a box cutter or a knife of some kind.” He did not provide a clear answer when asked how vandals were able to cut such a large gash into the pool with police and National Guard troops positioned on the National Mall. “We didn’t have a lot of them then, who would think that somebody would go into a pool and start cutting it?” When asked if he had any visual evidence of the gash, Trump said “we have pictures of it,” but when asked if he planned to release those photos, Trump said “you’ll see it in court.” He directed reporters to the Interior Department for further information. The U.S. Park Police did not respond to requests for comment from Forbes about the matter. The Interior Department responded with a post blaming the media for “trying to cover up for criminals who desecrated a great American monument,” but again did not provide any visual evidence of the alleged vandalism.
Trump also said a portion of grass was being replaced, where vandals previously marked “86 47” with huge numerals two weeks earlier. It was the same phrase that has gotten former FBI Director James Comey indicted by federal prosecutors for allegedly making threats against the president in an Instagram post. “They said 86 47, they probably got that from the dirty cop, Comey,” Trump said on Monday. “You know he’s a dirty cop, don’t you?”
At least one of the people arrested was former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn. The 67-year-old told the Washington Post he was arrested after stopping at the pool during a bike ride, where he said he reached into the pool to touch a piece of the peeling layer of paint. Hearn denied vandalizing or removing any part of the pool. The former Olympian spoke again to MS NOW on Monday, where he said he was detained for five hours after his arrest. “I was in the lockup at Hains Point Park Police jail, I didn’t know how long I was going to be held,” Hearn said. “After an hour, I was told that it was going to be a cite and release, so that led me to believe that I might not be there that long. Then it dragged on.” His attorney said Hearn was given two misdemeanor citations, which he said they would contest “vigorously.”
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