President Donald Trump has attributed damage to the grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial to the actions of vandals. In a social media post, Trump shared a photo of the damaged area, which had previously been lush and green, now appearing patchy and brown. This location had hosted Trump’s July 4 celebration, where a stage was erected and crowds gathered.
Trump did not provide reasons for his vandalism accusations over the possibility that Independence Day festivities led to trampled turf. He took to Truth Social, calling for those doubting vandalism of the Reflecting Pool to reassess their conclusions. These remarks echo Trump’s past claims regarding vandalism affecting his projects in Washington, often made without evidence.
Earlier, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office concluded that the damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was due to poor construction, not vandalism. This contradiction prompted Trump to criticize Pirro publicly. Recently, authorities arrested Melissa L. Farris, charging her with vandalism at the World War II Memorial. This incident involved graffiti and disruption of a fountain, but by their account, Farris had not acted in the area cited by Trump regarding the grass. Her previous arrest for camping was a few blocks away from the Memorial.
The area Trump referred to saw large-scale changes during his July 4 event. Crowds and stage setups covered the lawn. Webcam images from the Washington Monument depicted extensive coverage of the grass by bandstands. Photos taken shortly after the event illustrated workers removing structures, revealing damaged grass beneath.
Trump argued against Pirro’s conclusions by posting another photo of the lawn, highlighting numbers “86 47” in the grass, which federal officials consider a threat. Trump insisted this was evidence of vandalism, despite the numbers being absent from his recent post.