President Donald Trump blamed vandals for large patches of dead grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial. The damage occurred in the same area where he hosted crowds for a July 4th celebration, according to his social media posts.
Trump shared a photo showing brown, patchy grass in the area and wrote on Truth Social, “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.” He continued, “Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School!”
The July 4th event featured a large stage and seating that covered much of the lawn. Photos taken afterward showed workers removing the structures, revealing damaged and brown grass underneath. However, the images alone do not confirm the cause of the damage, and authorities have not provided evidence linking the vandalism to the event infrastructure.
Trump has a history of blaming vandals for damage to his projects in Washington, D.C., often without proof. Earlier this month, he criticized U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro after her office moved to dismiss a vandalism case involving damage at the World War II Memorial. The case was based on evidence of widespread liner damage caused by a flawed installation, not vandalism.
On Friday, authorities announced an arrest related to vandalism at the memorial. Melissa Farris faces felony charges after spray-painting the words “Clean hands dirty $” on the monument, according to Pirro. Farris was previously arrested for camping on federal property nearby, but not at the site referenced by Trump.
Trump posted a different photo on Aug. 1 showing the same area with the numbers “86 47,” which federal officials consider a threat against him. Trump claimed this image proved vandalism caused the grass damage, dismissing officials’ conclusions and asserting that “the major damage was caused by VANDALS!”
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
