Crews were observed on July 10, 2026, draining the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, a landmark central to former President Donald Trump’s efforts to beautify Washington DC. The pool, plagued by algae blooms and peeling paint, is undergoing maintenance overseen by the National Park Service.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, whose agency manages the National Park Service, told conservative podcaster Katie Miller earlier this week that the draining was planned. Burgum noted the water might still contain debris from the extensive Independence Day fireworks display over the National Mall, which led to the pool's closure during the celebrations. He instructed to “Drain the water, clean up the fireworks stuff,” and to “Repair the vandalism that was done.”

Trump, early in his second term, criticized the 104-year-old pool as “filthy dirty” and suggested that the previous Biden administration failed to maintain it. When announcing his plans to beautify the pool this spring, Trump aimed to complete the project before the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations.

Court documents revealed that the National Park Service reported to police an incident on June 9 where a sharp knife or razor cut the pool’s new liner, an act Trump attributed to vandals.

Contracts have been awarded to Ohio-based Green Water Solutions (also known as Greenwater Services) for $1.7 million to install a water-purification system, and to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings for $14.7 million to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor.

Meanwhile, a statement from Hearn’s lawyers, reported by the Associated Press, criticized an indictment related to the situation as an attempt by the administration to shift blame for their own failures, emphasizing that “The justice system exists to determine facts, not to provide political cover.”