OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
12:15 PM – Friday, October 23, 2026
President Donald Trump has released a new look at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, announcing that cameras were installed to monitor and protect against any future vandalism at the national monument he refurbished this year.
Overnight on Thursday, Trump declared that the pool had been refilled after alleged vandals peeled up the newly installed swimming pool lining and flooded it with algae this summer, causing his team to drain it for more repairs in July.
"The Reflecting Pool is 85% full, and looking really good! It hasn't worked properly since 1922, but will now. We have cameras set up to stop any potential Vandalism, including the grassed areas, which were destroyed by chemical poisoning with a large, and very inappropriate, phrase. The grass was completely replaced!" Trump said on Truth Social.
Cameras will also apparently cover grassy areas of the National Mall, which was also vandalized in June to display a massive message that appeared to read, "8647." The string of numbers has become known as a threat against Trump — "86" meaning to remove or cancel something in restaurant or bar slang, and "47" referencing Trump, who is the 47th president of the United States. Trump said the perpetrators used chemicals to kill the grass in the pattern of the numbers.
The Reflecting Pool, which sits between the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., has made headlines for several months. Americans watched as Trump first announced the project, noting that the administration of former President Joe Biden failed to fix the "filthy" pool, touted the cost, which was much lower than the Biden administration's estimates, and hailed its shorter-than-expected timeframe.
Though the Reflecting Pool has been one of the most scrutinized Trump administration renovations, it's only one of many projects taken on in Trump's second term. He also renovated the Arts of War sculptures near the Lincoln Memorial, the Freedom Plaza and Columbus Circle, and added a Helipad and a massive ballroom to the White House.
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