Trump says Lincoln Memorial pool 85% full

President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post just before 1 a.m. Friday, October 23, 2026, that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is 85% full and looking really good. He wrote it has not worked properly since 1922 but will now, that cameras are set up to stop potential vandalism, and that grass destroyed by chemical poisoning with a large and very inappropriate phrase was completely replaced. On Monday he wrote that security cameras had been installed, that the site will only get better subject to no vandalism, and warned potential vandals to go to jail. The National Park Service extended closure of the pool, adjacent walkways, and grass medians until November 20 for heavy machinery work, water-circulation repairs, and water-quality testing. The White House unveiled the renovated pool in June 2026; algae and peeling of the new blue liner were then spotted, and the pool was drained again in July. Trump has blamed alleged vandalism. Federal prosecutors dropped charges against accused people, including former Olympic canoeist David Hearn. Reporting cites evidence of a botched or faulty installation as the cause of peeling, not vandalism. The administration said nearby grass was replaced after chemical poisoning in a June pattern reading 8647 near the World War II Memorial; those vandalism claims have not been substantiated in the cited reporting. The Washington Post reported at least $343,100 spent on surveillance cameras across multiple D.C. sites under a contract awarded to LiveView Technologies.