This is like a strong material, and it's the size of eight football fields
At the intersection of public memory and political accountability, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum appeared on national television to defend the integrity of a newly renovated national landmark — and, by extension, the administration that restored it. A large gash discovered in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool's freshly installed liner has become a contested symbol: was it the failure of a $14.7 million renovation, or an act of deliberate sabotage against a recovered piece of American heritage? The answer, Burgum insists, lies in the nature of the material itself — and in photographs his department says it holds.
- A 300-to-350-foot gash in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool's new industrial liner has ignited a dispute over whether the Trump administration's flagship renovation project was undone by vandals or by its own workmanship.
- Burgum clashed visibly with CNN's Dana Bash, rejecting the premise that the damage could be accidental — arguing that a sprayed-on liner the size of eight football fields does not simply peel away on its own.
- Questions about whether President Trump's motorcade crossing the pool in May contributed to the damage added a layer of political friction, though Burgum denied the presidential limousine was even used.
- The pool's closure during Fourth of July fireworks — framed by critics as suspicious — was defended as a standard annual safety measure predating this administration entirely.
- Repairs will proceed without competitive bidding, returning to the original contractor, as the administration signals it views the damage as a contained act of sabotage rather than a systemic failure.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum appeared on CNN Sunday morning to make a pointed claim: vandals had deliberately sliced through the newly installed liner at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and his department had photographic evidence. Anchor Dana Bash pressed him on whether those photos showed actual perpetrators in the act. Burgum pushed back, arguing the evidence was in the material itself — an industrial-grade sprayed liner, the kind used to seal pickup truck beds, that cannot peel or deteriorate on its own. A damage pattern of deliberate slices in one location, he said, spoke for itself.
The renovation had addressed a real and longstanding problem: the pool had been losing 45,000 gallons of water per day before repairs began. Burgum framed the project as a genuine success — the leak stopped, the infrastructure sound — now threatened by what he characterized as sabotage rather than failure.
Bash raised two additional points of contention. She noted the pool had been closed during the July 4th celebration, which Burgum explained as a routine annual safety measure tied to the surrounding fireworks display. She also asked whether Trump's motorcade crossing the pool in May could have caused the damage. Burgum said no — the president had traveled in a Cadillac Escalade, not the heavily armored Beast.
On repairs, Burgum confirmed the administration would return to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the original contractor on the $14.7 million project, without issuing new bids. He defended the decision on grounds of quality and efficiency, estimating repair costs in the tens of thousands. Throughout the exchange, his frustration was visible — he argued the media's focus on the damage obscured a larger truth: the capital had been in serious disrepair before these renovations began, and the administration's record was one of restoration, not neglect.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum sat across from CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday morning and made a direct claim: vandals had deliberately cut the newly installed liner at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., and his department had the photographs to prove it.
Bash pressed him on the specifics. Did he have images of actual people cutting what witnesses described as a 300 to 350 foot gash in the pool's bottom? Burgum bristled at the line of questioning. The material in question, he explained, was not paint or some fragile coating. It was an industrial-grade sprayed-on liner—the same kind farmers and ranchers use to seal pickup truck beds. That kind of material doesn't simply peel away or deteriorate on its own. "This is like a strong material, and it's the size of eight football fields," he said. The damage pattern itself told the story: slices in one location but not others could only mean deliberate cutting.
The pool itself had been a genuine problem before the renovation. It had been hemorrhaging water at a rate of 45,000 gallons per day. That leak had finally been stopped. The Trump administration, Burgum said, had fixed it. The new liner was working. The broader infrastructure was sound.
Bash noted that the pool had been closed during the Fourth of July celebration. Burgum explained that this was routine. The pool closes every year on Independence Day because of the fireworks display that surrounds it. You cannot have people standing near an active fireworks setup. The fencing was there for safety, not because of any problem with the pool itself. When the fireworks were done, the fence would come down.
Bash also asked whether President Trump's motorcade might have damaged the coating when it crossed the pool in May. Burgum said no. The president had not been in the Beast—the heavily armored presidential limousine. They had used a Cadillac Escalade instead.
On the question of repairs, Burgum said the administration would hire the same contractor that had done the original work. Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which had received a $14.7 million contract to repaint and waterproof the pool's concrete floor, would handle the fix. Green Water Solutions, which had been paid $1.7 million for a water-purification system, would not be involved in the repair work. Burgum defended the decision: the original contractor had done excellent work. Why go through a new bidding process? The vandalism damage was limited in scope, though it would still cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair.
Burgum's frustration with the line of questioning was evident. He saw the media focus on the damage as a distraction from a larger point: the nation's capital had been in severe disrepair before these renovations began. No one, he said, had been reporting on the pro-Hamas graffiti that had marked the city. The real scandal was the condition of the place itself, not questions about whether the Trump administration's work had somehow failed. The pool would be drained in the coming week. Repairs would proceed without new contractor bids. The administration was moving forward.
Notable Quotes
The only way you can end up with actual slices in one spot and not the other is that someone physically cut it.— Doug Burgum, Interior Secretary
The real scandal is about the fact that the state of our capital was in such total disrepair.— Doug Burgum, Interior Secretary
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Burgum keep comparing this to a truck bed liner? That seems like an odd choice.
Because it's the most concrete thing he can point to. He's trying to say: this material is industrial-grade, it's tough, it doesn't just fail on its own. Any farmer knows that. It's a way of saying, "This isn't some cheap paint job that flaked off."
But Dana's real question was whether he had photos of someone actually cutting it. Did he answer that?
Not directly. He said they have photographs as they drain it, but he never produced an image of a person with a tool. He pivoted to the material itself—the pattern of damage, the nature of the liner.
So the evidence is circumstantial.
Yes. The pattern suggests deliberate cutting, according to him. But you're right—there's no video, no witness, no caught person.
Why use the same contractor for repairs without new bids?
Burgum says they did excellent work the first time. But it also means no competitive pressure, no outside scrutiny of the repair cost. That's what makes Dana's skepticism worth noting.
And the pool closing on the Fourth—that's normal?
According to Burgum, yes. Every year. The fireworks setup requires it. But the timing here is awkward—the damage happens, the pool closes, and people wonder if one caused the other.