Trump says beleaguered reflecting pool will ‘probably’ be drained for repairs

The troublesome Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in Washington is “probably” going to be drained for repairs, Donald Trump has said, after algae blooms and peeling paint marred the controversial recent renovation efforts for America’s 250th anniversary celebrations next month. In a Truth Social post late on Saturday, Trump said that after meeting with pool contractors, they would “probably be forced to release and drain much of the water in order to do the necessary repairs, but will have them done as quickly as possible”. He had earlier acknowledged “real problems” with the pool in the wake of a hasty $14.2m makeover. But he went on to blame the problems on vandals, saying “many additional people have been arrested having to do with the disgraceful Vandalism of our beautiful Reflecting Pool”. Trump claimed on Saturday several people had been arrested for alleged vandalism. Three-time Olympian David Hearn, who was apprehended, told the Washington Post that he had merely stopped by the pool to touch one of the peeling pieces of paint liner to see how it felt, when he was arrested by US park police on a misdemeanor charge. Trump gave no details on any other apparent arrests and details of any such apprehensions remained unclear on Sunday afternoon. Like many people who have struggled to control algae blooms in pools or ponds of standing water, Trump’s battle with eukaryotic organisms has shown no sign of being promptly resolved. …