Trump says Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was vandalized, defends response to algae bloom 

President Trump said on Friday evening that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was vandalized, amid reports of an algae bloom and peeling paint just two weeks after the multi-million-dollar project’s completion. 

“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool, which sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post. 

Trump referenced a recent incident in which the numbers “86 47” appeared in the grass on the National Mall, just days before his 80th birthday. The phrase has been interpreted as signaling opposition to the president, with 86 being slang for something to get rid of and Trump being the 47th U.S. president.

“Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed,” Trump wrote in the post. “No different than the chemicals........

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