Trump blasts Pirro after she admitted Reflecting Pool damage was caused by botched installation and blamed Interior Dept. for not sharing information

President Donald Trump sharply criticized Attorney Jeanine Pirro's assertion that the damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was due to shoddy construction rather than vandals, as initially claimed. Trump acknowledged in a social media post that there may have been some "contractor difficulty" in the installation of a new pool liner, but he firmly maintained that "the major damage was caused by VANDALS!"

He reiterated this stance, despite lacking clear new evidence to support his claim. The dismissal of charges against David Hearn, a former Olympian accused of deliberately damaging the pool, was seen as an embarrassing setback for the Justice Department, which had previously backed Trump's claims and framed the prosecution as accountability for the damage.

Government lawyers in a 20-page court filing argued that additional documents from the Interior Department showed the damage resulted from a botched installation and the rush to complete the project before events related to the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026. Pirro, a Trump appointee, filed a motion asking a judge to dismiss the case, citing the Interior Department's failure to provide "fulsome information at the outset of the case."

Hearn's legal team criticized both Trump and Pirro, stating that the claim Hearn was responsible for the damage was "nonsense," as their motions had repeatedly proven the administration was at fault. Interior Department officials declined to comment. In a nearly four-minute video, Trump appeared to show individuals with their hands in the pool, suggesting material was being cut with a knife or box cutter.

However, it's unclear from the video if any vandalism occurred, as workers are seen nearby and don't appear to notice the individuals. Trump had announced plans in May to beautify the Reflecting Pool, awarding a $14.7 million contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings for repainting and waterproofing the pool's concrete floor. However, issues emerged shortly after the project's completion, with chunks of the new liner peeling off and a sharp knife allegedly cutting the liner.