The alleged “gash” that vandals have supposedly inflicted on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is growing at an alarming rate, according to a series of remarks by President Donald Trump.When the president first addressed the purported criminal activity in a Truth Social post late Saturday, he described a cut in the pool surface as 250 feet long — one of several incidents of “disgraceful Vandalism” he claims followed his costly and hasty renovations on the National Mall. “They took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250 foot long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete,” he wrote.But by Monday morning, the gash had grown by another 50 feet — equaling the length of a football field, excluding the end zones — at least according to another post by the president on his social media site.“It has been given a 300 foot long gash,” he wrote of the pool, adding that “chemicals have been illegally placed in the water, and the beautiful new grass field has been destroyed with a gigantic 86 47 chemically carved into it (Probably inspired by Dirty Cop, James Comey!).”Then, addressing reporters Monday night, the gash expanded yet again as the president spoke. CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe pressed Trump on whether there was any evidence, such as photographs, documenting the gash.“When you have a 350-foot — I think it’s 350, not 250 — when you have a 350-foot slit from one end to the other… you think that’s proof?” he replied.National Guard troops patrol the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Monday, June 22, 2026. The Trump administration has accused vandals of damaging the pool's new finish. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesTrump claimed there were “pictures” of the gash, which the White House has not provided, and said he saw it with his own eyes. He referred questions about the evidence to the National Park Service. The Interior Department, which includes the park service, did not immediately respond Tuesday when HuffPost asked how long the gash really was and whether there were photographs it could provide. The agency has previously said that at least five people were arrested for allegedly vandalizing the reflecting pool. One of those includes a cyclist and former Olympic canoeist who says he touched a piece of the pool’s peeling blue surface but denies that he damaged the site in any way.A HuffPost reporter walked the perimeter of the reflecting pool on Monday and could not find a gash of several hundred feet, though it was difficult to see through the green algae growing in certain sections. The site has drawn news crews and tourists taking photos and video of the murky water following Trump’s renovation.The Reflecting Pool has been plagued by leaky pipes and algae issues for years, but the president claimed he would beautify it in a way only he could ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration. The White House rushed ahead with the project despite warnings from historic preservation experts that the monument was “hallowed ground” and should not resemble a swimming pool.The cost went far above the president’s initial estimate to more than $14 million, and included a no-bid contract for one of Trump’s supporters to install a water-purification system. The work involved installing a blue waterproofing material on the pool’s surface. Sections of that new surface appear to have peeled off in recent days, perhaps due to improper prep work, prompting Trump’s allegations of repeat vandalism. Scientists have also said that stirring up the pool through the renovation has probably made the algae blooms worse.Trump said the pool will need to be drained again, and promised that the alleged vandals would be prosecuted.“Please remember that there is a 10 year prison sentence for the destruction, or even the attempted destruction, of such things - Which will be fully enforced!” he wrote on Truth Social on Monday.