Donald Trump is finally acknowledging that some of the damage at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool may have been caused by the renovation itself.
But that hasn’t stopped him from insisting there was vandalism, defending the accusation against a former Olympic canoeist, and somehow dragging James Comey into the mess.
In a lengthy Sunday post on Truth Social, Trump continued attacking David Hearn, who was accused of vandalizing the Washington, D.C., landmark, even though prosecutors dropped the charges against him.
Trump claimed that a National Park Service “career employee” and “highly credible witness” saw Hearn “in broad daylight” allegedly vandalizing the pool by “violently” ripping and tugging at its “somewhat delicate coating.”
According to Trump, the employee provided witness testimony to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in early July.
But there’s a problem with the president’s version of events.
Trump also admitted there was no video or other proof of the alleged vandalism beyond the damage itself.
“There was substantial other damage to the Reflecting Pool, also but, unfortunately, there is no video or proof, other than the damage, itself,” Trump wrote.
That’s where things get interesting.
Trump went on to acknowledge that there was, in fact, “some contractor error” during the renovation.
He blamed the mistakes on rushing to complete the project in time for a July 4 opening, while insisting the affected area was “very small” compared with the size of the pool and “relatively inconsequential.”
That sounds considerably less dramatic than the vandalism narrative Trump has been pushing.
And prosecutors have offered an even less flattering assessment of the renovation.
After the charges against Hearn were dropped, the U.S. Attorney’s Office blamed the contractor for overspraying and delamination.
“The rush to complete the project led to hasty and botched work that was not remediated before the project was finished and the fencing removed,” prosecutors wrote.
In other words, at least some of the damage that Trump was pointing to as evidence of criminal vandalism appears to have had a much more mundane explanation: A rushed renovation job.
Trump, however, isn’t letting go of the vandalism theory.
In a previous Truth Social post, he shared photographs showing what appeared to be graffiti and peeling coating at the pool. He labeled both images “Vandalism.”
He has also been pressuring Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, to reconsider the decision to drop the charges.
On Friday, Trump urged Pirro to revisit what he called her “hastily made decision.”
Last week, he accused her of having “choked” over the case.
Now Trump is adding even more alleged wrongdoing to the story.
According to his latest post, “numerous other events took place,” including the alleged use of an “acid like material” on newly installed grass next to the pool.
And that’s where James Comey enters the picture.
Trump claimed that the grass had the letters “86 47” written on it.
He then offered his theory about where the message came from, saying it was “probably gotten from James Comey.”
Comey, of course, has been a longtime target of Trump’s attacks.
The president appeared to be referring to Comey’s controversial 2025 social-media post featuring the numbers “86 47,” which Trump interpreted as a threat or call for his removal. Comey later said he believed the numbers were simply a political expression, not a threat.
Now Trump has connected those same numbers to the alleged damage at the Reflecting Pool.
It’s quite a chain of events.
A former Olympian is accused of vandalizing the pool.
The charges against him are dropped.
Prosecutors blame rushed and botched contractor work for at least some of the damage.
Trump acknowledges there was “some contractor error.”
And then, somehow, James Comey gets pulled into the story because someone allegedly wrote “86 47” on grass.
Trump concluded his post by saying security cameras “have been, and are being, installed.”
That might be useful.
Because cameras could provide something the president admits is currently missing: video evidence.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman formally dropped the charges against Hearn and will later decide whether prosecutors can attempt to charge him again.
So the case isn’t necessarily dead forever.
But for now, the president’s original vandalism narrative has taken a significant hit.
Trump is acknowledging contractor mistakes while continuing to insist that Hearn vandalized the pool. Prosecutors say the renovation itself involved “hasty and botched work.” And Trump admits there is no video proving the alleged vandalism.
Yet he still wants the case revived.
And apparently, if the vandalism story needs another character, James Comey will do.
