Reflecting Pool row takes new turn as Trump reveals new evidence

US President Donald Trump has renewed his accusations that former Olympian David Hearn deliberately damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, while also acknowledging that problems with the rushed renovation contributed to some of the site's damage.

In a Sunday post on Truth Social, Trump cited a statement from a National Park Service employee who allegedly witnessed Hearn pulling at the pool's newly installed blue coating.

Trump continued to portray the incident as deliberate vandalism, even though prosecutors dropped the felony case against Hearn after additional evidence raised questions about the condition of the pool before the alleged incident.


The dispute has become one of the more unusual controversies surrounding the multimillion-dollar renovation of the Washington landmark.

Trump points to new witness account

Trump said the National Park Service employee provided testimony to the US Attorney's Office in July and described Hearn as "violently" pulling at the pool's coating.

According to the court document cited by Trump, two NPS employees were working inside the drained pool when Hearn approached the area and began photographing existing damage.

One employee, identified as W-1, alleged that Hearn then knelt down, put both hands underwater and began pulling at a large section of the blue coating. The employee reportedly asked him to stop, but Hearn allegedly continued until National Guard personnel arrived.

Hearn, a 67-year-old former Olympic canoe racer, has denied intentionally damaging the landmark. He was initially indicted on a felony destruction-of-property charge in July.

Trump acknowledges renovation problems

Trump's latest comments also contained an important concession.

The president acknowledged that contractor errors contributed to damage at the Reflecting Pool, saying the work had been rushed to meet a July 4 deadline.

Trump described the affected area as relatively small compared with the size of the pool and said it was not significant. He also said security cameras had since been installed and that the landmark would reopen soon.

The admission comes after prosecutors said information obtained following Hearn's indictment showed that at least some of the damage was linked to flawed installation work by contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings and the compressed schedule for completing the project before America 250 celebrations.

Why the case against David Hearn was dropped

Hearn's case took a dramatic turn after prosecutors received additional records concerning the renovation.

The US Attorney's Office later sought dismissal of the charge, saying the newly disclosed information made it difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hearn caused the damage described in the indictment.

A witness account included in court filings also indicated that damage to the area in question existed before Hearn approached the pool, further complicating the government's case.

The Justice Department's original indictment had accused Hearn of ripping a section of the recently installed blue sealant from the bottom of the pool. Prosecutors initially said the alleged destruction exceeded the threshold for a felony charge.

The case was ultimately dismissed without prejudice, leaving prosecutors with the legal possibility of pursuing the matter again if circumstances change.

Reflecting Pool controversy goes beyond Hearn

The dispute over Hearn is only part of the wider controversy surrounding the Reflecting Pool renovation.

The project was undertaken ahead of the United States' 250th anniversary celebrations and involved extensive work at the iconic Washington site. The newly installed blue coating subsequently developed problems, prompting a highly publicized dispute over whether the damage was caused by vandalism, installation failures or a combination of factors.

Trump had repeatedly blamed vandals for damage to the pool. His latest post again made that argument, while acknowledging that rushed contractor work also played a role.

The president also referred to another alleged incident involving markings made in newly installed grass near the pool, although the circumstances surrounding that claim remain separate from the Hearn case.

Cameras installed as pool prepares to reopen

Trump said additional security measures have now been put in place around the landmark.

The Reflecting Pool has remained at the centre of public attention as officials work to address the problems with its new coating. The president said repairs are continuing and that the site is expected to reopen shortly.

For now, however, the competing explanations for what happened remain at the heart of the controversy: Trump continues to allege deliberate vandalism, while prosecutors' decision to drop the Hearn case highlighted significant problems with the renovation itself.