Donald Trump’s Reflecting Pool disaster just got messier, and this time the problem is coming from inside his own team. The president clashed publicly with his own appointee after her court filing contradicted his long-held claims about what went wrong.
Donald Trump rejects his appointee’s assessment of widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool
President Donald Trump publicly rejected U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s assessment of the Reflecting Pool disaster. Trump took to Truth Social to criticize his own appointee over her court filing. He wrote that he “disagreed 100% with Jeanine Pirro” on the Reflecting Pool matter.
Trump insisted vandalism caused the damage to his $16 million renovation project. He stated, “I don’t know what she was thinking?” while repeating baseless claims about vandals. Trump acknowledged “there may have been some contractor difficulty” but maintained “the major damage was caused by VANDALS!”
Pirro had previously echoed Trump’s vandalism claims against Olympic canoeist David Hearn, 67. She once stated there was “tremendous evidence” that Hearn vandalized the pool. However, Pirro dismissed the charges against Hearn on Friday after prosecutors revealed new information.
Federal prosecutors accused the Department of the Interior of failing to disclose key details. The withheld information showed contractor errors, not vandalism, caused the pool’s damage. Pirro blamed a rushed renovation schedule tied to July 4 anniversary celebrations.
Pirro wrote that “the rush to complete the project led to hasty and botched work.” Atlantic Industrial Coatings received a no-bid contract for the renovation project. Trump said he previously used the company for work at one of his golf resorts.
Trump initially estimated the project would cost no more than $1.8 million. The final bill has since exceeded $16 million and continues to climb steadily. The project aimed to make the pool’s bottom appear “American Flag Blue.”
Hearn was arrested on June 19 after stopping to inspect the troubled pool during a bike ride. He insisted he only examined loose material already coming away from the surface. At the time of Trump’s post, crews had drained the pool for the second time in three months.
