President Donald Trump has asserted that vandals are responsible for large patches of dead grass on the National Mall, located near the World War II Memorial. This area was the site of a July 4 celebration hosted by Trump, which featured a large stage and crowds.
Trump made the accusation via a social media post, without providing specific evidence for why he believes the damage is the result of vandalism rather than wear and tear from the Independence Day festivities. He shared a photograph depicting a section of lawn by the World War II Memorial that appeared patchy and brown.
"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 wrote on his Truth Social platform. He also commented, "Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School!"
This is not the first time Trump has attributed damage to his renovation projects in Washington, D.C., to vandals, sometimes without substantiation and in instances where official accounts differ. Earlier in August, Trump criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro after her office determined that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was due to construction issues, not vandalism as Trump had claimed.
Authorities recently announced an arrest in connection with vandalism at the World War II Memorial, where the phrase “Clean hands dirty $” was found painted on the monument and bubbles were released into a fountain. Pirro stated that felony charges are being pursued against Melissa L. Farris in that case. The charging documents for Farris do not mention the grassy area Trump highlighted in his recent claims. Records indicate Farris had previously been arrested for camping on federal property blocks away from the memorial, but not in the specific area Trump referenced.
The lawn in question was covered by a large stage and seating areas for Trump's July 4 event, according to photographs taken from the Washington Monument during the celebration. Images captured by the Associated Press in the days following the event show workers dismantling these structures, revealing damaged, brown grass underneath.
On August 1, Trump had previously posted a different photograph of the same area, which he claimed showed the numbers "86 47" – described by federal officials as a threat against him – imprinted into the grass. He presented this as evidence against Pirro's conclusion, stating it was "a pure case of VANDALISM, that included the grass."
"There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!" he wrote at the time. The numbers mentioned by Trump were not visible in the photograph he posted on Sunday.