National Park Service workers use vacuum pumps to clean algae off the bottom of the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. On, Sunday, President Donald Trump said multiple people had been arrested for vandalizing the pool. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo
June 21 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said Sunday that work will begin "immediately" to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, blaming vandalism for problems at the newly renovated Washington, D.C. landmark.
Trump repeatedly claimed over the weekend on social media that there had been arrests in connection with vandalism at the Reflecting Pool, which has been plagued by issues since undergoing a $15 million restoration ordered by the president.
From algae blooms to blue coating peeling off its bottom, the Reflecting Pool has been a target of criticism of the Trump administration, which has defended the restoration as necessary while blaming vandals for at least some of the damage.
In a social media statement on Sunday, Trump said he inspected the Reflecting Pool and was in disbelief at what he saw.
