The internet questioned President Donald Trump's claims on Monday that someone used a knife or fertilizer to damage the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Trump alleged that someone damaged the algae-plagued fountain at the National Mall, telling reporters at the Oval Office that there was "a 350-foot slit" in the remodeled water feature. Earlier in the day, he threatened on Truth Social that people who attempted to "destroy" his vanity projects, including the reflecting pool, could face time behind bars.
Media experts and political commentators reacted to Trump's comments.
"A boxcutter created algae?" Leslie Marshall, Democratic strategist and talk show host, wrote on X.
"Maybe the UN inspectors should come in and take a look at it," longtime casting director Greg Orson wrote on X.
"This is just bats--- crazy. You got to be pretty deep into the cult to buy this nonsense," Ron Filipkowski, MeidasTouch editor and attorney, wrote on X.
"Who is the 'they' that Trump claims dumped fertilizer in Reflecting pool? Literally no one has been arrested and charged with doing so," Scott MacFarlane, chief Washington correspondent and anchor at MeidasTouch, wrote on X.
Who is the “they” that Trump
claims dumped fertilizer in Reflecting pool?
Literally no one has been arrested and charged with doing so https://t.co/L8NhM6tBRC
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) June 22, 2026