{"success":true,"data":{"id":"a847321d-bd3d-4753-b5fa-33e1e7704ce3","title":"Trump says Reflecting Pool has been drained for repairs","summary":"\"Watch CBS News\") Trump says Reflecting Pool has been drained for repairs Kaia Hubbard Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.","content":"[[Video 1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-reflecting-pool-drained-repairs/)](https://www.cbsnews.com/live/ \"Watch CBS News\")\n\n# Trump says Reflecting Pool has been drained for repairs\n\nKaia Hubbard\n\n Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. \n\nJuly 14, 2026 / 8:17 AM EDT / CBS News\n\n_Washington —_ President Trump said late Monday that the Lincoln Memorial [Reflecting Pool](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool-sealant-rips-algae-trump/) was drained for repairs, after weeks of railing against alleged vandals.\n\n\"We drained the beautiful 'Reflecting Pool' today in order to fix the scars and damage that was done by the Vandals two weeks ago,\" Mr. Trump [wrote](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116915815457371603) on Truth social.\n\n\"The Parks Department had to empty the water in order to fix the water tight basin,\" he said. \"It will be refilled and put back into service soon.\"\n\nThe president launched an effort in April to renovate the Reflecting Pool as part of a slate of projects ahead of the nation's 250th birthday. But the effort hit a series of snags earlier this summer, when algae turned the water a fluorescent green, before rips appeared in the new surface of the Reflecting Pool.\n\nA person stops to look at the partially-drained Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Monday, July 13, 2026, in Washington. Jose Luis Magana/AP \n\nThe National Park Service [reported](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/reflecting-pool-liner-cut-knife-razor-national-park-service/)last month that the damage was caused by a sharp knife, after the president blamed the renovated project's peeling surface on vandals. It was not clear what kind of evidence the National Park Service had.\n\nSeveral people have been arrested for alleged vandalism related to the Reflecting Pool, and last week, U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn [pleaded not guilty](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/olympian-david-hearn-pleads-not-guilty-reflecting-pool-damage/) to charges after he was accused of ripping out a portion of the sealant from the bottom of the pool. Hearn said he stopped by the pool during a 64-mile bike ride and was arrested after reaching down into the pool. He has said he was just interested in the material and briefly touched it.\n\nOn Monday, Mr. Trump reiterated that the individuals allegedly responsible should \"pay a big price for the damage done.\"\n\nThe president said \"slashes were 300 yards long, and the floor of the pool was cut and then pulled upward, with great force, by these thugs.\" He said the administration \"wanted to wait until after the July 4th Weekend\" to make the repairs.\n\nCBS News' Ed O'Keefe asked the president in late June for evidence of his claims.\n\n\"Yeah, at the right time you'll see it,\" Mr. Trump said. \"You'll see it in court. You'll see it in court, but all you have to do is call the Parks Department, call the Department of Interior.\"\n\nIn:","source_name":"CBS News","source_url":"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-reflecting-pool-drained-repairs/","url":"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-reflecting-pool-drained-repairs/","author":"Unknown Author","author_name":"Unknown Author","published_at":"2026-07-14T12:17:04.000Z","publication_date":"2026-07-14T12:17:04.000Z","image_url":"https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2026/07/14/ee8323ff-820a-419c-8ac9-fdc6b3f2b3ea/thumbnail/620x413/b623b0dd44adb373127fd771890ef8ca/ap26194615169083.jpg#","category":"world","topic":"world","tags":[],"political_bias":null,"bias_score":null,"confidence_score":null,"credibility_score":null,"factual_quality":null,"reading_time":3,"word_count":432,"view_count":0,"breaking":false,"breaking_news":false,"ai_analysis":null,"fact_check_status":"unverified","archive_status":"hot"}}