Trump doubles down on Reflecting Pool vandalism claims 

President Trump is sticking by his claims of vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, following reports that the pool’s new base covering is peeling off. 

The Trump administration’s multimillion-dollar renovation project of this iconic water feature was only recently completed. The water has since turned green from an algae bloom outbreak and the pool’s new “American flag blue” paint has been photographed peeling off and rising to the surface.

The president suggested to reporters on Monday that the loose paint is the result of someone cutting through the new lining. Trump said there is around a 300-foot slit in the pool’s base that was created with “probably a box cutter or knife of some kind.”

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning, Trump increased the estimated size of this cut to 350 feet and said it was made with “a very sharp knife of razors.”

The president announced that the pool will be partially drained “either before or after the Fourth of July” for repairs. 

“It was purposefully and........

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