Donald J. Trump is now claiming on Truth Social that vandals are responsible for large patches of dead, brown grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial — the very same stretch of lawn where his own stage and crowds sat for days during his July 4th "Salute to America" event.
Trump posted a photo of the damaged turf on social media, tying it to what he's cast as an ongoing string of attacks on the Mall, without offering any evidence for the vandal theory or explaining why he'd rule out the more obvious culprit: a giant stage, seating, and hundreds of thousands of attendees.
AP photos taken as crews dismantled the July 4th setup show the bandstand and seating covering nearly the entire lawn Trump is now calling vandalized. He'd previously claimed the event drew over 400,000 people, again without evidence.
This is at least the third "vandalism" claim Trump has tied to that stretch of the Mall this summer. He also blamed vandals for the deteriorating condition of the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool — a claim that fell apart after the Justice Department dropped charges against the person accused, with officials later attributing the pool's damage to a botched repair job rather than sabotage.
"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," Trump wrote. "Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School! President DONALD J. TRUMP"
Sure thing, Grandpa.
"Trump blames vandals for damaged grass in the same spot where he held his big July 4 celebration" - Associated Press #SmartNews https://t.co/CBCQCuU85w
— Gina Gregoire (@kangaroojill2) August 17, 2026
