Former President Donald Trump asserted on Sunday that vandals were responsible for large sections of dead grass on the National Mall, located near the World War II Memorial. This area was the site of a July 4th celebration where Trump hosted crowds and a stage was erected.
Trump made the accusation on his social media platform, Truth Social, posting a photograph that depicted a patchy, brown lawn adjacent to the World War II Memorial. He did not specify why he attributed the damage to vandals rather than the foot traffic and structures from the Independence Day festivities.
"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 stated. He added, "Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School!"
This is not the first time Trump has blamed vandals for damage to renovations in Washington D.C., often without presenting evidence, and sometimes contradicting accounts from his own officials. His office previously concluded that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was due to construction issues, not vandalism, a conclusion Trump contested.
Authorities recently announced an arrest in connection with vandalism at the World War II Memorial, where the phrase "Clean hands dirty $" was painted on the monument and a fountain was filled with bubbles. The individual arrested, Melissa L. Farris, faces felony charges. However, the charging documents in that case do not mention the damaged grassy area Trump highlighted.
The stretch of lawn in question hosted a large stage and seating for Trump's July 4th event, which he claimed drew over 400,000 attendees before a storm interrupted his remarks. Images from the period, captured by a webcam atop the Washington Monument, show the stage and seating covering the lawn. Subsequent Associated Press photographs documented workers dismantling these structures, revealing damaged grass underneath.
Earlier in August, Trump shared a different photograph of the same area, claiming it showed the numbers "86 47" emblazoned into the grass, which federal officials have identified as a threat against him. He cited this as proof of vandalism that included damage to the grass, stating, "There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!" These numbers were not visible in the photograph Trump posted on Sunday.