Trump says DC reflecting pool repairs may not be done in time for 4 July

Donald Trump has acknowledged that repairs to the algae-stricken reflecting pool in Washington DC may not be completed in time for the Fourth of July, when the president plans to convene a big celebration on the National Mall to ring in the country’s 250th birthday. The iconic body of water began filling with algae blooms and peeling paint after the Trump administration ordered a $14.2m renovation to turn it “American flag” blue, prompting the president to claim – without providing evidence – that vandals armed with a knife had damaged it. He reiterated the allegation in a social media post on Tuesday, while indicating the repair work may not be completed in time for the country’s semiquincentennial. “We will drain some of the water, either immediately before or after the Fourth of July, to do the permanent repair,” Trump said. He also claimed that six people have been arrested, and seven cited, “for the damage they did to our country’s now beautiful Reflecting Pool”. He blamed the vandalism on a 350ft gash “made by a very sharp knife or razors” that created “numerous slashes over a very long 350 foot length”. Such “slashes” have not been visible during visits by reporters in recent days. “It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night, to create such a condition,” Trump wrote. …