President Donald Trump doubled down on his theory Tuesday that vandals were responsible for his failed Reflecting Pool renovations, suggesting that “razor blades” may have been used to create a “gash” in the pool’s bottom longer than a football field “in the dark of night.”
“The 350 foot gash, made by a very sharp knife or razors, is actually numerous slashes over a very long 350 foot length,” Trump claimed on his social media platform Truth Social.
“It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night, to create such a condition. Likewise, the small area at the bottom of the Pool was cut and powerfully lifted off the surface leaving very jagged, uneven edges.”
The $14 million restoration project has become a headache for Trump. Just days after the restoration's completion, the pool became filled with green algae and paint from the pool's bottom appeared to be peeling off. Trump has claimed that vandals were responsible for the project’s failures, and threatened would-be vandals with 10 years imprisonment on Monday.
"Six people have been arrested, and seven people have been cited, for the damage they did to our Country’s now beautiful Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote.
“In any event, even prior to fixing those areas, the Reflecting Pool is as beautiful as it can be. We will drain some of the water, either immediately before or after the Fourth of July, to do the permanent repair.”