'They put in algae': Trump continues to blame vandals for Reflecting Pool failure

President Donald Trump on Wednesday dedicated a museum honoring Theodore Roosevelt in North Dakota, invoking ​the Republican president's legacy and linking it to his own vision for the country. While he spoke on a range of topics, he didn't miss the opportunity to bring up the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the nearly $16 million renovation project that came under fire after an algae bloom. Trump yet again blamed the issue on vandals, claiming people poured the algae in and then demonstrated to protect it.

The Reflecting Pool drew nationwide attention after an algae bloom turned its waters a vivid green within days of the administration's multi-million-dollar refurbishment. While it cast a shadow over the project, Trump fiercely defended his "American Flag Blue" coating at the bottom of the pool and attributed the discoloration and other problems to acts of vandalism. He maintained his assertion while speaking on how he "fixed" the pool. "We got rid of the algae, which they put in. They put in algae. Who the hell put in algae? They had a couple of people with signs, protect the algae. Can you believe this? This world has gone crazy," Trump said after blaming former President Barack Obama for failing to fix the pool.

Since the reopening, the National Park Police have so far arrested at least seven people, according to the New York Times. Apart from allegations of putting chemicals and algae into the pool, Trump has repeatedly claimed that vandals took a box cutter or a knife to the pool to make a 350-foot gash at the bottom. Additionally, another 18 police reports have been filed, and the federal prosecutors in Washington shared citations that were issued by the Park Police as well. However,  no records are available, and the identity of only one man, U.S. Olympic canoeist David "Davey" Hearn, was revealed, who claimed no wrongdoing. For now, it remains unclear exactly what those citations were for, or how many people received them.

The Reflecting Pool soon became a strictly enforced police zone, and last week, crews were seen adding fencing around the pool. The Interior Department attributed the fencing to the long-planned security measures for the upcoming July Fourth celebrations. As per the Times, one of the launchpads for the fireworks is located at the pool, and the fence was put up for public safety, as it had been in years prior.

However, in a lengthy post on Monday, Trump said the Reflecting Pool was in "full use" after being damaged by alleged vandalism. He simultaneously announced that the extensive renovations to Washington, D.C.'s East Potomac Golf Links public course would begin in September. The President confirmed the government planned to drain the pool after Independence Day, while claiming it was currently "working well" and “the criminal algae is gone", repeating his claims of vandals causing the record algae bloom.