President Donald Trump lashed out at vandals who spray-painted the World War II Memorial and filled the site’s fountain with frothy bubbles, publicly referring to the perpetrators as “animals.” The incident, discovered on Thursday, August 13, featured red graffiti spelling out the phrase “Clean hands dirty $.” As of Friday, it remained unclear who committed the act of vandalism on the National Mall.
The affected area was cordoned off by law enforcement on Thursday afternoon. The U.S. Park Police is currently investigating the incident, according to the Department of the Interior, which officially labeled the event a “disgusting act.” The department stated, “The vandalism that occurred is an utter disgrace and will not be tolerated.” has reached out to the U.S. Park Police and is awaiting a response regarding the status of the investigation.
By Friday morning, the venue had been cleaned and reopened to the public. In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the spray-painting as the latest in a series of vandalism acts targeting the National Mall. “THERE CAN BE NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II,” Trump wrote. “First the Reflecting Pool, now this. We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???”
Trump has repeatedly claimed that new repairs required for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool were caused by vandalism, though no photos or videos have been released to verify those specific allegations. In a previous incident involving the pool, multiple individuals were charged with damage, but those charges were eventually dropped. Prosecutors determined the pool’s damage was actually the result of flawed installation by the contractor and the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026.
The vandalism at the World War II Memorial follows the recent appearance of “8647” traced onto the National Mall grass, a reference to removing Trump from office. At the time of that incident, Park Police stated the cause of the lawn’s discoloration had not been determined and noted that grass samples had been collected for testing.
The World War II Memorial is situated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., located between the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument. It sits at the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool, directly across from the Lincoln Memorial.
The site serves as a solemn tribute to the 16 million Americans who served in the U.S. military during World War II, including more than 400,000 who died in the conflict. reporter Michelle Del Rey contributed to this report.