WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has blamed vandals for large patches of dead grass on the National Mall, pointing to an area that was covered by a stage and packed with crowds during his July 4 celebration.
Trump made the claim Sunday on Truth Social while sharing a photo of the damaged lawn near the World War II Memorial.
“Look what VANDALS did to the grass connecting the vandalized World War II Monument and the vandalized Reflecting Pool, which will be opened again, and better than ever, shortly,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
“Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School!” he added.
The area highlighted by Trump was the site of a major July 4 celebration marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.
A large stage and seating areas covered much of the lawn as crowds gathered to hear Trump and watch fireworks. Trump said more than 400,000 people attended, but did not provide evidence for that figure.
Photos taken by a streaming webcam atop the Washington Monument showed the large structures covering much of the grass. Photos from the Associated Press in the following days showed workers removing the structures and brown, damaged grass underneath.
Trump has previously accused vandals of damaging projects in Washington, including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
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Earlier this month, he criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro after her office concluded that damage to the pool was caused by poor construction rather than vandalism.
Authorities did announce an unrelated vandalism arrest at the World War II Memorial on Friday. Officials said the words “Clean hands dirty $” had been painted on the monument and bubbles had been placed in a fountain.
Pirro said felony charges were being brought against Melissa L. Farris.
Charging documents do not mention the damaged grass highlighted by Trump. Authorities said Farris had previously been arrested for camping on federal property a few blocks from the memorial, but not in the area Trump identified.
Trump raised the same area earlier this month after posting a different photo that appeared to show the numbers “86 47” in the grass.
Federal officials have said the numbers constitute a threat against Trump. He cited the markings as evidence against Pirro’s conclusion about the Reflecting Pool.
“There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!” he wrote.
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