Trump Claims Vandals Are Destroying the Reflecting Pool - So Why Was an Olympian Just Arrested for Destruction of Government Property?
President Donald Trump is making over Washington, D.C., piece by piece. Along with paving over the White House Rose Garden and turning it into a patio lined with roses, attempting to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and renovating the East Wing ballroom, the commander in chief also set his sights on the National Mall's Reflecting Pool.
Last April, the President posted on Truth Social, "Starting the final phase of Renovation that was supposed to cost 301 Million Dollars, and take three years, and was instead done, with the help of Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, and his entire Department, and a much better result - 2 Million Dollars in one week!"
While Trump initially pitched his new project as a major improvement that would transform the Reflecting Pool into a bright, shining ‘American flag blue' hue, something went horribly wrong. Instead of crystal-clear water, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is plagued by a persistent algae problem and peeling blue material.
On Friday, Trump took to Truth Social again, posting his take on the unsightly issue: "We've had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool, which sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial. 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."
Trump continued, "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. Lightweight ABC Reporter, Jonathan Karl, was seen sticking his hand into the Pool, and trying to rip the rubber off of the surface."
Yes, Karl reached into the murky water and picked up a piece of material that had already peeled away from the surface. But the reporter clearly didn't vandalize the Pool. But as it turns out, Karl isn't the only person that the government now blames.
According to recent reports, a former Olympic athlete was arrested by U.S. Park Police for vandalizing the monument. Canoe Slalom Olympian David Hearn, who competed for the U.S. in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Games, was detained for misdemeanor destruction of government property while cycling past the monument on Friday.
Per The Washington Post, Hearn had reached into the water (much like Karl) to feel the detaching liner. He later said of the incident, "I didn't vandalize anything."
The former Olympian added, "I didn't destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs." Hearn is now set to appear in Washington, D.C., Superior Court on July 9.
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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 5:04 PM.