People caught vandalizing ​the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Washington’s National Mall will be ‌fully prosecuted, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro ​said on Sunday (June 21, 2026).

President Donald Trump has blamed ⁠vandalism for recent problems with the newly renovated pool, including its new blue paint peeling off. Citations for vandalism ‌have been issued, Pirro said on Sunday, adding that even minor crimes must be ‌prosecuted to keep the U.S. capital safe.

The peeling ‌paint ⁠was visible in the 2,000-foot-long rectangular pool, ⁠a major national landmark, less than two weeks after Trump declared its $14.7 million renovation project completed on June 6. Mr. Trump ​on Saturday (June 20, 2026) claimed, without providing ‌evidence, that vandals poured corrosive chemicals into the pool.

“Anyone who is in a position of vandalizing or attempting to vandalize will face the criminal ‌justice system in D.C.,” Pirro told Fox ​News’ “Sunday Briefing” program. In a Truth Social post on Sunday (June 21, 2026), Mr. Trump blamed “sick” and “deranged” people ⁠for the current state of the “seriously vandalized” pool. He had previously posted that the pool will ‌be drained for repairs. The pool has also suffered an algae bloom that makes the water look green. Those adding products to the pool that can generate algae could face more severe charges, Pirro said.

Workers from the National Park Service earlier ‌this week poured hydrogen peroxide into the pool to combat ​the algae.

Mr. Trump first brought up allegations of vandalism on Friday, when he posted on ⁠social media that 75% of the algae is ⁠gone. He also accused ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl of “trying to rip the rubber off ‌of the surface” of the pool. ABC did not immediately respond to a request for ​comment.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday (June 20, 2026) announced that federal authorities had made “multiple arrests” of people he said were vandalising the Reflecting Pool as he struggled to explain why the $14-million-plus rehabilitation project he launched for the nation’s 250th anniversary seemingly backfired.

Mr. Trump said his predecessors had let the pool turn an algae-stained green and that he’d line it with “American flag blue” so it better reflected the Washington Monument.

But after the new pool was unveiled, its blue tinge quickly became a familiar green. Workers treated it with chemicals to kill the algae, but then the painted blue lining on the bottom began to peel.

On Friday (June 19, 2026) night, Mr. Trump posted about the pool.

“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool. Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed,” he said.

Mr. Trump offered no details to substantiate his claim.

Agencies responsible for law enforcement and upkeep on the National Mall – the U.S. Park Police, National Park Service and Interior Department – did not respond to requests for comment.

Mr. Trump on Saturday (June 20, 2026) followed up by saying Park Police “have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nation’s magnificent Reflecting Poll,” meaning Pool.

He went on: “Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail!” One man arrested was David Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, who owned a company that made composite used to build watercraft. He said he stopped by the pool during his 64-mile bike ride Friday to see what was going on.

Mr. Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool because he wanted to examine the peeling new coating. He said he briefly touched a chunk that was still attached to the side of the pool, then let go shortly after a park worker told him to.

But, Mr. Hearn said, he was then detained by National Guard troops and Park Police for five hours before being released Friday night.

“I’m a curious citizen,” Hearn said in a telephone interview. “I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery.” The Washington Post first reported Hearn’s arrest, and he said he has a date to appear in court next month and is looking for legal help.

Even if someone pulled ribbons of paint from the side of the pool, it would not explain the clouds of algae in green water and swaths of loose blue paint detached from the bottom.

Mr. Trump insisted something nefarious has been going on at the scene.

“No different than the chemicals that were used on the National Mall, they used something similar in the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work,” he posted Friday (June 19, 2026) evening.

That was an apparent reference to the discovery of large numbers etched in discolored grass on the National Mall the week before: “86 47”.

Authorities said the numbers could have been meant as a threat to Trump, the 47th president. The number 86 can be slang for “getting rid of”. They are investigating.

Mr. Trump’s claims came after days of negative attention to the state of the pool, which has drawn television cameras and curious onlookers.