President Donald Trump claimed on Abcnews that vandals are responsible for large areas of dead and patchy grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial. The affected turf is located in the exact spot where a large stage and seating areas were constructed to host crowds for a July 4 celebration marking the nation’s 250th anniversary. Trump asserted without providing evidence that more than 400,000 people attended the Independence Day event before a storm struck and delayed his remarks.
Trump Blames Vandals for National Mall Grass Damage
In his social media post, Trump shared a photograph showing the brown, patchy lawn. 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 Sunday. Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School!
Livestreaming webcam footage from atop the Washington Monument and photographs taken by Independent show that bandstands and seating infrastructure covered nearly the entire lawn during the holiday festivities. Subsequent photos taken as workers dismantled the structures revealed brown and damaged grass underneath where the event equipment had stood.
Clashes With Officials Over Vandalism Claims
The latest accusations follow a pattern in which Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for damage to renovation projects in Washington, D.C., frequently without offering evidence and sometimes contradicting accounts from federal officials. Earlier this month, Trump lashed out at U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro after her office concluded that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool—which had been slated for repainting in an American-flag blue design—stemmed from a flawed installation and poor construction rather than vandalism.
On August 1, Trump shared another photograph of the lawn area that appeared to show the numbers 86 47
emblazoned into the turf. Federal officials have stated that those numbers constitute a threat against Trump. Pointing to that image, Trump argued against Pirro’s findings, writing, There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!
Those numbers were not visible in the photo Trump posted on Sunday.
Arrest Made in Separate Monument Incident
Authorities announced an arrest in connection with a separate vandalism incident at the World War II Memorial, where the phrase Clean hands dirty $
was painted on the monument and bubbles were introduced into a fountain. Pirro announced that felony charges are being brought against Melissa L. Farris in that case.
However, charging documents and law enforcement statements in the Farris case make no mention of the grassy area highlighted by Trump. Officials noted that Farris had previously been arrested for camping on federal property a few blocks away from the World War II Memorial, but not in the specific section of turf cited by the president.
