10
Loading video...
By Alice Gibbs and Hannah Parry
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A second sign posted at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool appears to double down on claims of vandalism to the pool and criticism of "prior administrations," after a separate National Park Service notice drew attention for blaming earlier governments for maintenance problems at the historic Washington, D.C., landmark.
The newly surfaced message, attached to fencing around the Reflecting Pool, states that "National Park Service staff and contractors are repairing areas damaged by vandals" and describes a "historic effort" to restore the site. The sign emerged after another notice attributed clogged water supply ports to "years of neglect by previous administrations."
What the Reflecting Pool Signs Say
The first notice, spotted in early August, reads: "The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has been partially refilled to allow National Park Service staff and contractors to flush the pool's piping system for the first time in more than a decade.
Read More on U.S.
"After years of neglect by previous administrations, more than half of the 58 water supply ports were so clogged that they were deemed nonfunctioning.
"The flushing may temporarily discolor the water as buildup in the pipes is cleaned out."
...
The latest sign was photographed on fencing surrounding the Reflecting Pool on August 14. The notice states that National Park Service staff and contractors are "repairing areas damaged by vandals and completing a historic effort to clean, fix, and beautify the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Memorial Pool."
It goes on to say: "Since 1922, prior administrations have neglected this iconic national landmark, evidenced most recently by more than half of the pool's pipes being clogged and the sidewalks and granite coping stones being filthy dirty."
The sign also says the pool "will remain drained while this work proceeds so that it can truly reflect the beauty, dignity, and grandeur of our nation's capital."
Why the Signs Are Raising Eyebrows
Government agencies typically use neutral language when communicating maintenance projects, making the sign's reference to "neglect by previous administrations" stand out.
The notice explains that workers are flushing the Reflecting Pool's piping network and warns that the process could temporarily discolor the water as “years of buildup” are removed from the system.
"I was coming home from the gym and noticed it," Suzanne Garwood, who took a picture of the sign on August 6, told Newsweek. "They just took down the extended fencing from the Fourth so this is the first time we could get that close to the pool in weeks."
Garwood, a local resident, shared her frustration with the recent works at the pool and in the wider Washington, D.C. area. "The East Wing, the Kennedy Center, the Arts of War and Peace, and the Pool. Next up is the Arch and destroying our cherry trees for a golf course. The District isn’t Trump’s personal property," she said.
Amanda, who spotted the second sign while visiting the area with her brother, told Newsweek: "I read it thought it was hilarious that they didn't even check to see if they had a typo or extra wording. That coupled with all the insanity of the Reflecting Pool was so absurd."
The emergence of a second sign suggests the language blaming previous administrations was not limited to a single notice. Both messages appear on National Park Service signage and explicitly attribute the condition of the Reflecting Pool and surrounding infrastructure to neglect under earlier administrations, an unusually pointed framing for government maintenance notices.
Newsweek has contacted the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior for comment.
Reflecting Pool Restoration and Controversy
The viral sign appears against the backdrop of a months-long dispute over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which has become the focus of an unusually public restoration effort led by the Trump administration.
In April, President Donald Trump announced plans to renovate the iconic landmark, saying the Reflecting Pool would be resurfaced with a swimming pool-style protective coating. The administration later declared the work complete in early June, with water beginning to flow back into the basin after a project whose estimated cost ultimately climbed to roughly $14.7 million.
The renovation quickly became the subject of legal and political controversy. The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), an advocacy group, sued the Department of the Interior over the application of a blue coating to the basin, arguing the work altered a nationally significant cultural landscape.
...
Within days of the pool being refilled, algae rapidly returned to portions of the pool. The Department of the Interior attributed the bloom to residual algae in reactivated supply lines, while visitors also began documenting peeling and flaking sections of the newly applied coating.
At the same time, the project faced a separate challenge when federal officials reported damage to the newly installed blue liner. The U.S. Park Police launched an investigation, while Trump blamed vandals and repeatedly claimed the surface had been slashed with a knife or box cutter. Security around the site was subsequently increased, with National Guard personnel and U.S. Park Police visibly patrolling the area.
The controversy intensified further after former Olympian David Hearn was arrested and charged with destruction of government property in connection with alleged damage to the pool. Hearn later pleaded not guilty, but prosecutors ultimately moved to dismiss the felony charge after saying newly developed evidence suggested portions of the liner had failed because of installation defects rather than intentional vandalism.
Meanwhile Trump has doubled down, insisting the damage was caused by vandalism.
On Friday, the president shared a photo and X post from D.C. photographer Andrew Leyden which he said showed "cuts in the expansion joints on the side of the Reflecting Pool," which he said were now visible after the fencing surrounding the pool had been removed.
"Now that people are able to see it up close, they are reporting pure VANDALISM at The Reflecting Pool," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. "The material was cut right where the video tape showed, for 300 feet or more. People were on their knees with their hands in the water at the exact location of the ‘slashes.’ Additionally, there were witnesses to the VANDALISM, and the flexible areas of the material were cut with a knife.
"U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro should re-visit her hastily made decision, especially since it turned out that the ‘gentleman’ involved is a big player in ActBlue, a disgraceful fundraising SCAM, and is represented by a TRUMP DERANGED SLEAZEBAG, Political Hack Lawyer, Norm Eisen, and CREW, a group that uses “charity” for political purposes which is, to the best of my knowledge, ILLEGAL!" he added, referring to the lawyer for Hearn.
Update 08/18/26 04:50 a.m. ET: This story was updated with new information.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Emma Lee-Sang
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines