Fencing and an AI surveillance system went up at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after President Donald Trump blamed “vandals” for a gash reporters cannot find.
On Wednesday, workers were seen installing fencing around the pool and near the World War II Memorial. A solar-powered mobile surveillance unit was placed poolside.
TMZ DC co-managing editor Charlie Cotton posted a photo on X of the new AI surveillance system as early as 12:55 p.m. Hours later, he posted video of workers installing the fencing.
Video journalist Oliya Scootercaster shared footage on X — captured by videographer @noturtlesoup17 — showing the fencing and the surveillance unit.
Trump has insisted that vandals caused the Reflecting Pool’s problems, claiming someone used a knife to cut a gash in the pool’s lining. He told CBS News the damage was “350 feet long” and said he would present evidence in court.
“I can’t help it if somebody goes in with a knife and starts hacking it up,” he told reporters.
CBS News correspondent Ed O’Keefe checked the pool Tuesday morning and found nothing.
“We checked again and still no sign of a 350-foot gash as President Trump alleges,” O’Keefe wrote on X. Other reporters on scene confirmed the same.
The Reflecting Pool has been plagued by problems since a more than $14 million renovation was completed earlier this month. The pool turned green with algae shortly after reopening, and the blue coating Trump ordered installed began peeling off the bottom. Scientists say the algae bloom is a natural consequence of summer conditions — not sabotage.
The Interior Department is preparing to drain the pool again and make repairs.
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