Trump doubles down on Reflecting Pool vandalism claim against ex-Olympian David Hearn, admits ‘some contractor error’

By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-10 11:06:21 | Updated at 2026-08-10 11:25:38 37 minutes ago

President Trump insisted Sunday evening that former Olympian David Hearn vandalized the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool earlier this summer, days after castigating DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro for dropping the case.

“A National Park Service career employee, a highly credible witness, saw David Hearn (ActBlue) in broad daylight vandalize the Reflecting Pool by ‘violently’ ripping and tugging at the Pool’s somewhat delicate coating,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, attaching a screenshot of a court document. “The National Park Service employee provided this witness testimony to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in early July.”

President Trump speaks with members of Crushers GC after their team win at LIV Golf New York at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. Getty Images

The president added that “[t]here was substantial other damage to the Reflecting Pool, also but, unfortunately, there is no video or proof, other than the damage, itself. We are working on the Pool, and it will reopen shortly.

“As with many jobs, there was also some contractor error done by rushing the job for a July 4th opening, but it was a very small area of this massive Pool, and was relatively inconsequential. Security cameras have been, and are being, installed.”

Hearn, 67, was charged with one felony count of destruction of property only for Pirro to dismiss the charge July 31, claiming the Interior Department never shared information about the “flawed installation by the contractor.”

Former Olympian David Hearn exits DC Superior Court on Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Washington, DC. Bloomberg via Getty Images
A tear in the recently applied sealant is seen on the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool through algae-laden green water on Friday, June 19, 2026, in Washington, DC. AFP via Getty Images

Trump, 80, criticized Pirro for abandoning the prosecution Aug. 3, telling reporters in the Oval Office “The judge was extremely unfriendly to Jeanine and frankly, I think she choked. The judge was really vicious. Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and went after her department, and I guess she choked … She folded like an umbrella.”

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