{"id":29146,"date":"2026-06-29T08:54:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T08:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/29146\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T08:54:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T08:54:17","slug":"trump-says-reflecting-pool-in-full-use-confirms-dc-golf-course-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/29146\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump says Reflecting Pool ‘in full use,’ confirms DC golf course work"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump<\/a> said that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool<\/a>\u00a0on the National Mall is “in full use” after an algae bloom<\/a> in the pool and portions of the blue paint applied during renovations he commissioned<\/a> began peeling off earlier this month.<\/p>\n

Trump’s June 28 social media post came after a tour of Washington, DC, landmarks<\/a> during which he declared that many of the monuments<\/a> were “completely renovated and restored” and announced plans for a renovation of a golf course facility in the district.<\/p>\n

He blamed, without evidence, “Criminal, Radical Left Vandals” for “creating great damage” to the Reflecting Pool, which he said was “100% free of leaks, and any of the other problems it has had since its building in 1922” last week. The paint appeared to have begun peeling off on June 18,<\/a> 10 days before Trump’s post on Truth Social.<\/p>\n

Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool before blue paint job vs after<\/p>\n

1 of 20<\/p>\n

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool<\/a> has become overrun with algae just days after the landmark underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation that painted the pool’s basin “American Flag Blue,” a dark navy, ahead of Independence Day. <\/p>\n

The iconic landmark is more than 100 years old after it was built between 1920 and 1923. The National Park Service typically takes several measures to prevent algae growth and maintain water quality in the Reflecting Pool. Still, algae growth has continued to be a consistent problem through its history.<\/p>\n

(Josh Morgan, USA TODAY)<\/p>\n

The pool has been suffering from an algae bloom since at least June 16<\/a>, as seen in photos compiled by USA TODAY. Algae blooms have long bedeviled the DC landmark, though the one that broke out in the wake of the renovations appears to have reduced<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The president said in a June 26 speech that renovations would restart<\/a> following the Independence Day holiday.<\/p>\n

Lincoln Reflecting Pool arrests<\/p>\n

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a June 27 interview on Fox News that seven arrests and 18 police reports<\/a> have been filed in connection with the pool. Burgum did not name those arrested or specify any charges but said that there would be “full” prosecution.<\/p>\n

USA TODAY reached out to the Department of the Interior to confirm the number of arrests and citations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, was arrested by U.S. Park Police on June 19 and charged with misdemeanor destruction of government property, the Washington Post<\/a>\u00a0first reported, and appears to be the only publicly identified person arrested in connection with the pool.<\/p>\n

Hearn defended himself to the Post, saying: “I didn\u2019t vandalize anything” and that “I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.”<\/p>\n

A photo published by Reuters shows a U.S. Park Police officer issuing a citation to a person identified as a 17-year-old who allegedly took a piece of paint from the pool.<\/p>\n

See blue paint peel away in Lincoln Memorial\u2019s iconic Reflecting Pool<\/p>\n

1 of 12<\/p>\n

Photos appear to show peeling of the \u201cAmerican Flag Blue\u201d paint in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool<\/a>, as the National Park Service works to control and remove an algae bloom that turned the water green following the Trump administration\u2019s $16 million repair, resealing and painting project.<\/p>\n

(Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)<\/p>\n

National Park Service deputy director of operations Frank Lands said in a sworn declaration<\/a> that a portion of the paint was damaged, and a portion of caulk laid over foam sealant was “cut with a sharp knife or razor.”<\/p>\n

According to Lands, the National Park Service reported the damage to U.S. Park Police, and officers responded on June 9. The statement does not say when the damage occurred, if it was an act of vandalism, or identify any potential suspects.<\/p>\n

The declaration was made in connection with a lawsuit arguing that the Trump administration illegally renovated\u00a0the pool. The Park Service did not respond to previous requests for comment from USA TODAY on Lands\u2019 declaration.<\/p>\n

Trump says DC golf course renovations to begin in September<\/p>\n

Trump also announced in the post that renovations to East Potomac Golf Links<\/a> would begin on Sept. 1.<\/p>\n

“It was determined that, on this fantastic site, with water and unparalleled views of D.C.’s Monuments, we will build one of the Greatest Golf Courses anywhere in the World,” Trump said.<\/p>\n

The renovation comes after a nonprofit organization and two residents in Washington sued the\u00a0Trump\u00a0administration to try to block the project. The administration and the nonprofit, National Links Trust,\u00a0reached a deal in May\u00a0to allow the organization to continue operating East Potomac Golf Links until federal officials overhaul it.<\/p>\n

White House East Wing demolished to clear the way for Trump’s ballroom: Photos<\/p>\n

1 of 3<\/p>\n

An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to build a multimillion-dollar ballroom on the eastern side of the White House.<\/p>\n

(Eric Lee\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Trump called the course “virtually unplayable.” Reviews<\/a> of the facility’s three courses on GolfNow<\/a> are largely positive, though some note conditions on the fairways and greens that are consistent with a heavily used municipal course<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The president stated that Tom Fazio would be the new course’s architect, and it would be built through the Department of the Interior.<\/p>\n

Contributing: Michael Loria, USA TODAY; Reuters<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says Reflecting Pool ‘in full use,’ confirms DC golf course work<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President Donald Trump said that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool\u00a0on the National Mall is “in full use” after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29147,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[11754,1259,44,11755,11756,11637],"class_list":["post-29146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-dc","tag-donald-trump","tag-golf","tag-reflecting-pool","tag-the-national-mall","tag-washington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}