President Donald Trump has attributed the patches of dead grass near the World War II Memorial on the National Mall to acts of vandalism. This area, previously home to a large stage during his July 4 celebration, shows significant signs of damage. Trump’s assertion emerged on social media, where he shared a photo displaying the affected lawn.
In his post on Truth Social, Trump expressed his view on the condition of the grass, linking it to vandalism of nearby monuments. He stated, “Look what VANDALS did to the grass connecting the vandalized World War II Monument and the vandalized Reflecting Pool.” He further criticized skeptics of his claims about the Reflecting Pool, suggesting, “Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School!”
This is not the first time Trump has blamed vandals for damages in Washington D.C. There have been instances where he made similar accusations, often without evidence or in contradiction to officials’ findings. Notably, Trump had a confrontation with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. Her investigation concluded that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool damage resulted from construction flaws rather than vandalism.
Recently, an arrest was made in connection with vandalism of the World War II Memorial, unrelated to the lawn issue Trump highlighted. Melissa L. Farris faces felony charges after allegedly painting graffiti and causing disturbances at the site. Her prior arrests include camping on nearby federal property, but not in the lawn area cited by Trump. Reports indicated that this space hosted a significant stage for Trump’s July 4 remarks and fireworks display.
Photos from the event show a stage setup covering much of the lawn. Later images depict workers clearing away the structures, leaving behind visible patches of brown grass. Although Trump claimed over 400,000 attendees witnessed the event, no evidence was presented to support this figure. Weather conditions had also delayed his speech during the celebration.
On August 1, Trump referenced a photo suggesting the presence of numbers “86 47” on the grass, alleging these as a threatening message. However, these numbers were absent in his subsequent photos, undermining his claim of vandalism as the primary cause of the damage.
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