Dead duckling in Reflecting Pool sparks blame game over Trump's paint job after botched renovation
The US President said repair work would begin "immediately" on the 2,028-ft long pool after the poor duckling was discovered
A dead duckling found in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has led to a blame game over Donald Trump's $14m paint job of the Washington landmark.
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Pictures showed the creature floating lifelessly in algae-infested water, as Trump blamed vandals for "deliberately" contaminating the pool.
The US President said repair work would begin "immediately" on the 2,028-ft long pool, which has faced issues despite a major renovation.
Mr Trump announced the $14m (£10m) revamp of the reflecting pool to turn it “American flag blue” in time for America's 250th anniversary celebrations on July 4.
But days after the project was finished earlier in June, green algae had obscured the bottom of the pool and slabs of paint began to peel off.
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Officials had poured hydrogen peroxide, a type of bleach, in the water in an attempt to remove the algae. The chemical is not usually dangerous unless used in high concentrations, when it can endanger ducks and birds swimming in the water.
On Saturday, Mr Trump claimed that vandals rather than contractors were responsible for the issues affecting the pool, writing on TruthSocial that some "form of knife or blade" had been used to slice a "250-foot-long gash" in the paint.
He claimed on Sunday that vandals had poured corrosive chemicals into the water in a bid to deliberately create the algae.
He said that "work will begin immediately on fixing the seriously vandalized Reflecting Pool".
On Monday Trump confirmed there had been five arrests, with more people under investigation.
Those arrested are believed to include tourists, locals and an Olympian who allegedly fished chunks of the floating paint from the water as a souvenir.
The cause of the ducking's death has not yet been confirmed.
Occupy Democrats, a social media page, posted on Facebook that "while we don’t know exactly what killed this duckling, you don’t have to be a scientist to hazard a guess".
They added that the "debacle" of the renovation had become a 'metaphor for his entire administration".