A duckling was found dead Sunday in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the latest – and most tragic – twist in President Donald Trump's troubled renovation of the iconic Washington landmark. Photos showed the poor creature floating in algae-fouled water, as local US Attorney Jeanine Pirro vowed to aggressively prosecute anyone caught vandalising the pool.
The pool has been plagued by algae blooms and peeling paint following a hasty $14.2m (£9.8m) makeover ahead of America's 250th anniversary celebrations next month. On Sunday, Trump flew over the site in a helicopter on his way back from Camp David and declared on Truth Social: "Work will begin immediately on fixing the seriously vandalized Reflecting Pool. I just inspected it, and could only say to myself, and those gathered around me, WOW, who would do such a thing? SICK, DERANGED PEOPLE!"
“A dead duckling found in algae-fouled water as Trump orders repairs and vows to prosecute vandals.”
He had earlier acknowledged "real problems" with the pool and suggested it may need to be drained and refilled for a second time this month, blaming vandals for the disruption. According to a senior Trump administration official, five people have been arrested for vandalism and five more issued citations by police on Saturday night, bringing the total of police reports to 14, including one related to an alleged 250ft long gash made with a blade.
Three-time Olympic canoeist David "Davey" Hearn, who was among those arrested, told the Washington Post he had merely stopped by the pool to touch one of the peeling pieces of paint liner to see how it felt, when he was arrested on a misdemeanour charge. "I didn't do anything wrong," he told the BBC.
Pirro, speaking on Fox News's Sunday Briefing, said: "Anyone who is in a position of vandalising or attempting to vandalise will face the criminal justice system in DC." She added that adding products to the pool that can generate algae could bring more severe charges. The cause of the duckling's death was unclear, and neither the National Park Service nor the Interior Department immediately returned inquiries.