When Trump again blames the ‘destroyers’, he is about to drink a reflecting pool

The DC Water Authority announced last Monday that it had given permission to drain the pool, Reuters news agency reported.

The repair company said it will repair the rectangular structure as part of the warranty.

The BBC has contacted the DC Water Authority and the National Park Service for comment.

The attraction was last touched up for a Trump-inspired renovation in April of this year and was filled earlier this month.

Built in the 1920s and stretching 2,030 feet (619m) between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, the reflecting pool has long been plagued by leaks, structural failure, faulty pipes, algae growth and bird droppings.

But despite the change, the pool continues to be plagued with algae problems and Trump continues to develop issues with the blue color added to the bottom.

In recent days, National Park Service workers have poured hydrogen peroxide into the water to remove algae, parts of which are now peeling off and floating to the surface, and visitors are pulling them off.

Trump on Monday in Washington, D.C., echoed a threat by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to vow to vigorously prosecute anyone who vandalized the pool.

The president warned in a post on Truth Social: “Please remember that there is a 10-year prison sentence for a crime, or an attempt to commit a crime, things like that – it will be fully implemented!”

Later in the day, he told reporters in the Oval Office that someone had cut a 350-foot-long (107-meter) crack in the pool and that “someone may have put fertilizer in there,” causing the algae to grow.

“I can’t help it if someone comes in with a knife and starts hacking,” said the president, whose recent upgrades cost around $16m (£12m).

Trump, who flew over the helicopter base on his way back from Camp David, indicated a day earlier that the pool would need to be drained and refilled for the second time this month.