{"id":4477,"date":"2026-08-06T11:07:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T11:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4477"},"modified":"2026-08-06T11:07:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T11:07:04","slug":"trumps-reflecting-pool-fiasco-triggers-massive-white-house-feud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4477","title":{"rendered":"Trump’s Reflecting Pool fiasco triggers massive White House feud"},"content":{"rendered":"

US President Donald Trump\u2019s renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has gone beyond his vision of refurbishing a site of national pride to perfection. In the past month, the reflecting pool has become yet another tool for Trump to exact political retribution against those standing in his way.<\/p>

Read more Trump\u2019s AG pick is letting a a 111-year-old corpse dictate your rights<\/a><\/p>

When the US$16 million job was completed in time for the July 4 celebrations of America\u2019s 250th birthday, it was clear something was amiss. <\/p>

The algae that had long plagued the pool had returned. And the sealant covering the bottom of the pool immediately began peeling. <\/p>

Trump attributed the damage to vandals, and one man, David Hearn, a former Olympian, was arrested after he put his hand into the pool and examined a piece of coating that had become detached from the floor. <\/p>

The Trump-appointed US attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News presenter, opened a full investigation. Hearn was promptly indicted for destruction of property. <\/p>

Late last week, however, the case was turned on its head when Pirro moved to dismiss the charges against Hearn. Her stated the damage to the pool was not due to vandalism, but a \u201cbotched installation\u201d by the contractor in a rush to complete the project before the anniversary celebration.<\/p>

Trump went ballistic, accusing Pirro of \u201cfolding like an umbrella\u201d. But the prosecutor was undeterred. This week, she dropped the charges against three other defendants accused of vandalising the pool. <\/p>

And at a testy White House meeting with Trump, she held her ground, reportedly lashing out at Interior Secretary Doug Burgum for misleading the president about the evidence.<\/p>

How judges and prosecutors are pushing back<\/strong><\/p>

The wider context here is the loyalty Trump expects and demands from his appointees and staff. <\/p>

This was one of the strongest lessons he took from his first term, when Trump found himself repeatedly blocked or tightly managed by many in his inner circle, among them:<\/p>