Trump blasts claims his Reflecting Pool renovation was to blame for damage to DC landmark
Donald Trump has blasted claims that the iconic Reflecting Pool in Washington DC had to be drained because of a botched repair job he ordered.
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The President was responding after reports in the US claimed that the recent renovation had led to the draining of the landmark.
He instead insisted the damage done to the pool was done by vandals and "sleazebags".
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said: “ABC Fake News and its shaky anchor, David Muir, said that the Reflecting Pool was drained to address Peeling Paint (there is no paint, it was slashed with a knife, or box cutter, high grade colored waterproofing liner - it was VANDALISM!) and Algae Blooms (also caused by Vandals, but removed long ago!)."
He continued: “In other words, the story was FAKE NEWS, but heavily slanted away from the real cause of the problem, Vandalism. It will be fixed soon, and better than ever. 60 monuments and fountains have been cleaned and fully renovated in D.C., and crime is at record lows! Washington has never looked better, or been safer!”
In a separate post, Trump said: “We drained the beautiful ‘Reflecting Pool’ today in order to fix the scars and damage that was done by the Vandals two weeks ago. We wanted to wait until after the July 4th Weekend.”
“The slashes were 300 yards long, and the floor of the pool was cut and then pulled upward, with great force, by these thugs,” he wrote.
“The Parks Department had to empty the water to fix the water tight basin. It will be refilled and put back into service soon. These Country hating sleazebags should pay a big price for the damage done.”
In June, Trump administration declared victory in completing work to repaint the landmark pool, which stretches from the Lincoln Memorial nearly to the Washington Monument.
The colour was "American flag blue" for the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence on July 4.
In the days since, the pool has been beset by problems, including blooms of algae, a long-running scourge that has tinted the water a vibrant green, and chips of blue liner peeling off the bottom.