Trump Blames ‘Vandals’ For Damaging Lawn At National Mall Site Where He Held July 4 Rally

Aug 17, 2026 02:39 PM - 3 hours ago 4

Topline

President Donald Trump connected Sunday nighttime accused vandals of damaging a conception of section successful the National Mall successful Washington D.C.—an area that was utilized to big his July 4 rally—echoing claims he made astir the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool contempt his administration’s nonaccomplishment to nutrient immoderate grounds of specified vandalism successful court.

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks astatine the Nassau County Police Academy Center for Training and Intelligence successful Garden City, New York.

AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

In his station connected Truth Social, the president shared a photograph of a ample discolored spot of writer successful the National Mall adjacent to the World War II memorial.

Trump wrote “Look what VANDALS did to the grass,” without offering immoderate evidence, and reiterated his earlier claims astir the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting excavation being vandalized arsenic well.

The station besides referenced an arrest made past week successful relationship to an enactment of vandalism astatine the World War II Memorial wherever personification painted the words “Clean hands soiled $.”

The president ended his station noting that anyone who thinks “the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should spell backmost to Law School,” a remark that echoes his anger astatine U.S. Attorney for the D.C. Jeanine Pirro determination to drop charges successful the excavation vandalism case.

news peg

The Associated Press noted that the area of section that appears successful the photograph shared by Trump is aforesaid location wherever a ample shape had been built and crowds had gathered for during Trump July 4 rally arsenic portion of America’s 250th day celebrations. The AP study noted that a bandstand and seating areas were coming successful the location wherever Trump claims the vandalism took place. The agency’s photos of the arena structures being dismantled aft independency time besides show discolored and damaged patches of writer underneath.

Workers dismantle structures from Salute to America, an Independence Day arena honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, arsenic seen from the Washington Monument.

key background

Late past month, the DOJ dropped its criminal case against Olympian and Maryland resident David Hearn, aft he was accused by national prosecutors of “forcefully and violently” ripping parts of the reflecting pool’s renovated floors. The lawsuit was revenge aft Trump reacted to disapproval of his multimillion dollar renewal of the pool, which included coating its level blue. When chunks of overgarment were seen peeling disconnected the excavation floor, Trump claimed this was the consequence of vandalism. The U.S. Attorney’s agency for D.C., however, dropped the charges aft noting that grounds made disposable to them by the Department of the Interior showed that the harm was the consequence of a “rushed and flawed installation” process involving the pool’s lining. Charges against 3 different defendants was besides dropped.

What Was Trump’s Response To The Dropping Of Charges?

Even arsenic the cases were dropped, Trump doubled down connected his vandalism claims and wrote connected Truth Social: “I disagree 100% pinch Jeanine Pirro…, connected the Reflecting Pool. I don’t cognize what she was thinking? To me, it was a axenic lawsuit of VANDALISM.” A fewer days later, Trump criticized Pirro erstwhile again while speaking to reporters astatine the White House. He said the erstwhile Fox News big “choked” and “folded for illustration an umbrella,” adding he was “really disappointed” pinch her determination to driblet the lawsuit against Hearn. Trump has not yet commented connected the remaining cases being dismissed.

tangent

Last week, Pirro announced that a female named Melissa Farris had been arrested complete the alleged World War II Memorial vandalism incident and faces 2 felony charges. Aside from spray-painting the words “clean hands soiled $,” the suspect allegedly tossed bubbling soap into the fountain astatine the memorial. On her Facebook page past week, a female named Melissa Lovewell shared a video of herself utilizing spray overgarment astatine the monument and said, “I will hold present to beryllium arrested for spraying our veterans’ fountain.”