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President Donald Trump slammed 'crazy pro-algae' protesters seen standing at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, as the National Guard has been deployed in an effort to protect the iconic site.
Trump jumped on Truth Social on Monday evening to bash a 'likely-paid' protester stood in a pink frog costume while holding a banner that read, 'first they came for the algae.'
'Here is another example of a crazy pro-algae (likely paid) protestor,' the president wrote.
'The sign says, “First they came for the algae…” which is in reference to a famous post-WW2 statement about Germans not speaking out against the Nazis: “…Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”'
Trump recently threatened jail time for anyone seeking to damage the reflecting pool renovation project, which cost an estimated $16 million.
He said the only structure vandalized from his sweeping renovation was the Reflecting Pool, which he vowed was being dealt with 'ASAP.'
'It has been given a 300-foot gash, chemicals have been illegally placed in the water, and the beautiful new grass field has been destroyed with '86 47' chemically carved into it,' he wrote on Truth Social Monday morning.
'Please remember that there is a 10 year prison sentence for the destruction, or even the attempted destruction, of such things - which will be fully enforced!'
President Donald Trump jumped on Truth Social on Monday evening to bash a 'likely-paid' protestor stood in a pink frog costume while holding a banner that read, 'first they came for the algae'
A woman was detained before being issued a ticket after allegedly removing a piece of the coating that has peeled off at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
Trump's threats come as the algae which the project was supposed to remove has dramatically returned, tinting the water green.
Pieces of the newly applied 'American Flag Blue' sealant have appeared to peel up off the bottom of the pool.
Trump admitted over the weekend that he would 'probably be forced to release and drain much of the water' from the pool to facilitate repairs.
There was reportedly a large law enforcement presence at the pool Monday morning as it began to drain.
Trump has repeatedly blamed the problems with the project on nefarious vandals, calling them 'sick, deranged' people on Sunday.
He previously mentioned the alleged 'gash' as being 250 feet long, adding that the US Park Police have arrested people accused of vandalizing the pool.
A Trump official told the Wall Street Journal that five people had been arrested as of Saturday night.
Images of a dead duckling in the algae-infested waters circulated on social media yesterday.
A dead duckling in the reflecting pool was tragically discovered on Sunday following Trump's costly efforts to beautify the site ahead of America's 250th birthday
National Park Service workers vacuum pumps to clean algae off the bottom of the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington, DC
The photos sparked outrage online as many pointed to the algae-tackling chemicals that are being dumped in the waters.
Just days ago, crews were seen dumping hydrogen peroxide into the water to curb algal growth.
The Department of the Interior, which is overseeing the project, said in a statement to media outlets that 'nanobubbler technology' had been installed to address the buildup of algae.
'Unlike under Obama and Biden, the National Park Service is actually maintaining the beautifully completed Reflecting Pool,' a spokesperson for the department said in a statement to the Daily Mail.
'To keep the water in the Reflecting Pool not only crystal clear but also clean, we are deploying high-tech nanobubble ozone technology.'
The department added that the technology kills algae, pathogens and contaminants that have long plagued the pool.
This is a breaking news story.
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