President Donald Trump’s pool cops have identified a person of interest in the ongoing saga over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The U.S. Park Police shared a notice on Wednesday, pleading for assistance in identifying an unknown suspect who allegedly vandalized the Reflecting Pool, which has turned into a mess of green slime after the president’s failed renovation.
“The United States Park Police is seeking assistance in identifying the individual depicted here in connection with a Destruction of Government Property investigation,” the agency said in a statement shared to social media. “The incident occurred on June 19, 2026, at approximately 3:36 p.m. at the Reflecting Pool on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.”
The Park Police included a video of the suspect, who appears to splash around in the water before reaching in and grabbing what looks to be a flap of “American Flag Blue” paint.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump, 80, has stirred up quite a stink around his disastrous renovation of the Reflecting Pool, which he spent over $16 million to repaint its basin and fix its cracks and leaks.
Since it was refilled, the Reflecting Pool has exploded in its worst algae bloom in years, turning its water into a green, swampy mess.
In an effort to mitigate algal growth, workers have poured hydrogen peroxide into the water and scraped the pool day after day to remove the marshy muck, but with limited success.
Witnesses have reported flakes of blue paint rising up to the surface of the pool, and at least two ducks have been found dead in its water within the last week.
The issue seems to be at the top of the president’s priority list as he continually bemoans alleged “leftist” vandals who he claims cut up the pool and poured fertilizer into its water to spur algae growth.
Trump has said that at least six people have been arrested and seven others cited as a result of investigations into alleged destruction of federal property.
“It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.
However, the administration has yet to provide any tangible evidence, such as photos or videos, of anyone slashing up the pool as the president has alleged.
Trump brought up the Reflecting Pool during a speech at the “Great American State Fair” on Wednesday night, saying that the alleged “vandals” have “largely been caught” and that the evidence would be seen in court.
CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins pointed out on Wednesday that the president himself said last month that it would be impossible to cut the pool’s lining with a knife.
“This will last for at least 50 years,” Trump said on May 4. “You’ll never have a leak. It’s very strong. You couldn’t, if you had a knife—I don’t want to give anybody ideas—if you had a knife, you can’t even cut it. So strong, so powerful, it’s like powerful rubber. It is beautiful. Sealed.”
The president shared that the pool would be emptied and refilled “either immediately before or after the Fourth of July to do the permanent repair,” no doubt dashing his spirits ahead of his planned festivities for the nation’s semiquincentennial next month.
