President Donald Trump's latest claim about a box cutter attack on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is contradicted by his own previous statements. Over the weekend, Trump blamed vandalism for the peeling of the $14 million 'American flag blue' coating, which is now covered with algae turning the water a toxic green. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump alleged that vandals 'went in there with a knife' and carved a '290, 300-foot slit right through it, probably a box cutter or a knife of some kind,' adding that the pool would likely be drained to 're-fix it.'
Video Evidence Contradicts Trump's Claim
A video published on X Monday shows Trump at a Small Business Summit in May promising that the coating was so durable it couldn't be cut by a knife. 'This will last for at least 50 years and you’ll never have a leak,' Trump said. 'I don’t want to give anybody ideas, [but] if you had a knife, you can’t even cut it. So strong, so powerful. It’s like powerful rubber.' The video then cuts to his recent allegation of knife damage, highlighting the contradiction.
CBS News' Ed O'Keefe questioned Trump about the feasibility of such vandalism given the heavy security presence of National Guard and police on the National Mall. Trump doubled down, saying, 'We didn’t have a lot of them then,' and asked, 'Who would think that somebody would go into a pool and take a knife and start cutting it?' When pressed for proof, Trump claimed, 'Yeah, yeah, I have proof,' but offered none, instead pointing to the alleged slit as evidence.
Critics and Experts Weigh In
Critics on X were quick to mock Trump's inconsistency. One user wrote, 'He didn’t anticipate the mighty box cutter. Like he didn’t see the Straight of You Lose closing.' Another quipped about a 'special ACME knife.' A third simply stated, 'You ruined the pool. You know you ruined it. Just say you ruined it!'
According to a New York Times report last month, the Park Service had informed Trump during his first term that 'the only solution' to the pool's algae problem was to replace thousands of feet of pipe. Experts warned that without fixing the leaky pipes, the pond weed would return, making the new blue floor invisible under green murk.
