Trump says algae-filled Reflecting Pool beautiful as it can be, but will be repaired around July 4

WASHINGTON — President Trump claimed Tuesday that six people have been arrested for allegedly damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which he said would be repaired “either immediately before or after” Independence Day.“Six people have been arrested, and seven people have been cited, for the damage they did to our Country’s now beautiful Reflecting Pool,” Trump claimed on Truth Social Tuesday morning.“In any event, even prior to fixing those areas, the Reflecting Pool is as beautiful as it can be.We will drain some of the water, either immediately before or after the Fourth of July, to do the permanent repair.”US Park Police did not immediately respond to a request for the identities of those purportedly arrested.Shortly after the Reflecting Pool reopened following a $16.4 million makeover, it fell victim to a massive algae bloom while pieces of “American flag” blue sealant that had been put down on the iconic basin began coming off.Initially, the Interior Department insisted that the algae return was expected, as it had been left over in the pipes before the renovation.The department first claimed that a $1.74 million nanobubbler system had killed the algae, but was later forced to dispatch crews to repeatedly vacuum up the recurring muck.After pieces of blue sealant were spotted in the pool, the administration blamed vandals — though critics noted that crews had dumped hydrogen peroxide, used in paint removers, into the water during the scramble to contain the algae.On Monday, Trump alleged that mischief-makers had caused a 350-foot gash in the Reflecting Pool, a claim The Post has not independently verified.

Two days earlier, the president had described the damage as a 250-foot gash.“The 350 foot gash, made by a very sharp knife or razors, is actually numerous slashes over a very long 350 foot length,” the president claimed in his Tuesday Truth Social post.“It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work ver...