Secretary Burgum condemns vandalism targeting National Mall amid new threats
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum reacts to a disturbing pattern of vandalism targeting the National Mall, including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which suffered significant damage. Burgum details the restoration efforts, the deployment of security and the arrest of seven individuals involved. He stresses that such acts are an attack on the country and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
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President Donald Trump is blaming vandals for large spots of dead grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial, the same area where the president hosted crowds for a 4th of July celebration.
Trump made the claim without providing evidence or explaining why he believes vandals damaged the grass. He shared a photo showing an area by the World War II Memorial with patches of brown and dead grass across much of the sprawling turf that was previously full of green grass.
“Look what VANDALS did to the grass connecting the vandalized World War II Monument and the vandalized Reflecting Pool, which will be opened again, and better than ever, shortly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School!” he continued.
TRUMP URGES JEANINE PIRRO TO REVISIT DROPPED LINCOLN MEMORIAL REFLECTING POOL VANDALISM CASE
President Donald Trump is blaming vandals for large spots of dead grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial. (Donald Trump/Truth Social)
Trump had a large stage built and invited crowds to the same lawn for his Independence Day celebration last month. He is now blaming vandals for the grass damage. Crowds gathered to hear from the president and watch fireworks to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Photos from the celebration show a large bandstand and seating areas covering nearly the entire lawn Trump now says was damaged by vandals. Photos from subsequent days showed workers removing the structures, revealing brown and damaged grass underneath. The photographs show that event infrastructure occupied much of the affected lawn, but do not by themselves establish what caused all of the grass damage.
Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for damage to his renovation projects in Washington, D.C., often without evidence and contradicting accounts from his officials.
Earlier this month, Trump criticized U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro after her office moved to dismiss the vandalism case after newly disclosed evidence showed widespread liner damage stemming from a flawed installation and the rush to complete the project ahead of Independence Day events, undermining the case against the defendant.
Workers dismantle structures from Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
On Friday, an arrest was made in connection with vandalism at the World War II Memorial after the words “Clean hands dirty $” were found painted on the monument and bubbles filled a fountain.
Felony charges in that case are being brought against Melissa Farris, according to Pirro.
Charging documents in that case do not mention the once-grassy area Trump referred to in his new social media post. Authorities said Farris was previously arrested for camping on federal property a few blocks from the World War II Memorial, but not the spot referenced by Trump.
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The Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool are seen from the Washington Monument on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Rahmat Gul/AP)
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On Aug. 1, Trump posted a different photo of the same area of dead that appears to show the numbers “86 47,” which federal officials argue is a threat against Trump. The numbers are not visible in the photo Trump shared on Sunday.
Trump cited that image as evidence against Pirro’s conclusion, describing it as “a pure case of VANDALISM, that included the grass.”
“There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!” he wrote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.