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US President Donald Trump attributed large patches of dead grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial to targeted destruction, linking the damage to vandals rather than the massive crowds that gathered for his Independence Day celebrations in the same area.
Sharing a photograph on Sunday that displayed patchy brown grass across a wide stretch of lawn near the memorial, the American leader asserted on social media without detailing why he believed the turf was damaged by vandals rather than being trampled during the July 4 event. His statements coincided with authorities announcing an arrest in an unrelated vandalism case at the World War II Memorial, though charging documents for that case made no reference to the grassy area highlighted by the President. "Look what VANDALS did to the grass connecting the vandalised World War II Monument and the vandalised Reflecting Pool, which will be opened again, and better than ever, shortly," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn't vandalised should go back to law school!" he added. Trump has frequently pointed to vandals for damaging his renovation projects in Washington, often without providing supporting evidence and occasionally contradicting statements issued by his own administration officials. Earlier this month, the US President directed criticism towards US Attorney Jeanine Pirro after her office concluded that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool stemmed from poor construction work rather than deliberate vandalism. The affected stretch of lawn previously held a large stage and accommodated crowds gathered to hear Trump speak and observe fireworks during the July 4 event marking the nation's 250th anniversary. Trump asserted, without presenting evidence, that over 400,000 people attended the gathering before a storm hit the area and delayed his address. On August 1, Trump posted a different photograph of the exact location that appeared to show the digits "86 47" marked on the grass, which federal authorities stated constituted a threat against him. Citing that image to challenge Pirro's findings, Trump wrote, "There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!" Those specific numbers were not visible in the photograph Trump shared on Sunday. In his latest post, the US President once again blamed vandals for the destruction around the National Mall memorial area, even though the lawn in question was the venue for his July 4 gathering and remained unmentioned in the recent memorial vandalism case. (ANI)
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