In the Reflecting Pool saga, the National Park Service's mission is
tested by Trump's demands
[August 14, 2026]
By MATTHEW DALY
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s botched repairs at the
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have landed the National Park Service
in a tight spot, forced to serve the public while managing controversial
demands by the Republican president.
The beloved federal agency, its iconic park rangers and other employees
have been navigating a new reality under Trump, from orders to revise
exhibits at parks and other sites to the demolition of important
structures under its stewardship, such as the White House’s East Wing,
to arresting visitors for alleged vandalism at the pool.
Critics say the monthslong Reflecting Pool saga and other demands by
Trump risk undermining the integrity of a federal agency that has long
been held in high esteem by the American public.
“Never — not once in decades — have I witnessed such systematic
degradation, disrespect and dismantling of the National Park Service as
I see today under the thumb of President Donald Trump and Interior
Secretary Doug Burgum,” said Bill Wade, a former park ranger and
superintendent.
Wade, who now serves as executive director of the Association of
National Park Rangers, wrote an op-ed for The Denver Post lamenting what
he called the Trump administration's “assault on the people, the mission
and the values that have made the National Park Service one of America’s
most valued institutions.”
The park service has been at the center of some of Trump's most
contentious actions during his second term. An executive order targeted
funding and demanded reviews at national parks and other sites that
Trump said advanced “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology,”
resulting in changes to some exhibits on slavery or climate change.
The president has also ordered sweeping changes to historical monuments
and buildings in Washington that fall under NPS' purview, including the
creation of a White House ballroom and a 250-foot-tall (76-meter-tall)
memorial arch. The agency meanwhile has lost at least one-quarter of its
permanent workforce since Trump began his second term, through layoffs,
forced retirements and resignations.
Park service employees “are being politicized and drawn into the
absurdities and corruption of this administration” on a regular basis,
said California Rep. Jared Huffman, the top Democrat on the House
Natural Resources Committee. He cited the pool project, the proposed
arch and the executive order on exhibit materials.
The ongoing political assault on the agency “is unlike anything we’ve
seen in this country, and it makes life miserable at agencies like the
National Park Service,” Huffman said.
Reflecting Pool saga continues
Trump launched repairs at the Reflecting Pool earlier this year, hoping
to address longstanding problems at the iconic site ahead of the America
250 celebrations. But the $16 million project faced immediate problems,
including peeling blue sealant and a fierce return of green algae.
Trump blamed the sealant issues on vandalism without providing evidence,
and felony charges were brought against a former Olympic canoeist, David
Hearn, after he was accused of vandalizing the pool.
The U.S. Park Police, a unit of the National Park Service, arrested
Hearn, who denied wrongdoing and said he briefly touched a chunk of the
coating.
Charges against Hearn were dropped on July 31 after prosecutors
acknowledged that damage was caused by a bungled installation rather
than vandalism.
The advice and counsel of career officials and rangers — instantly
recognizable by their signature flat hats and green-and-gray uniforms —
has been ignored or pushed aside as Trump and Burgum make decisions
regarding the failed pool repair, according to an Interior Department
employee who was not authorized to discuss internal discussions and
spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“It’s tragic,” said Ed Stierli, vice president of government affairs at
the National Parks Conservation Association, another advocacy group.
“The whole thing is a master class in how not to go about a public
rehabilitation project.”
In the days since the dismissal of the charges, Trump has continued to
lean on NPS in his repeated claims that vandals damaged the pool’s
lining.
“A National Park Service career employee, a highly credible witness, saw
David Hearn ... in broad daylight vandalize the Reflecting Pool by
‘violently’ ripping and tugging at the Pool’s somewhat delicate
coating,” Trump posted Aug. 9 on his Truth Social site. Hearn's legal
team said Trump “is continuing to attack an innocent man.”
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A National Park Service worker stands near a pump placed next to the
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, July 10, 2026. (AP
Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Stierli, of the parks conservation group, called Trump’s reference
to the unnamed park employee an example of the awkward position
agency workers now face under Trump and Burgum, who has publicly
backed Trump’s claims about vandalism at the pool.
“I think the public understands that unfortunately, you have the
president of the United States directly driving decisions, both here
in Washington and around the country,” Stierli said. The park
service — and especially its career staff — “has very little control
over this,” he added.
The White House and the Interior Department did not directly respond
to requests for comment on the park service. The White House
defended the pool project, saying Trump “promised to make D.C. safe
and beautiful, and he’s delivering."
“For years, the Reflecting Pool sat neglected, plagued with algae
and leaking millions of gallons of water,” the White House said in a
statement. "Fixing it was common sense.”
Park service morale is at its lowest point, a former official
says
Wade, the former park superintendent, called the pool repair “a
comedy of errors” and “a continuation of the incompetence” shown by
the Trump administration.
“Most people realize the NPS is under the gun and can’t do much
about it, even though they’d like to,″ he said, adding that morale
at the agency is at the lowest point he can remember.
Edicts from Washington have made clear that speaking honestly about
what is going on could cost staffers their jobs, Wade said. “There’s
a very strong fear among employees at NPS,″ he said in an interview.
“It’s very frustrating for them, as you can imagine.”
Trump’s proposed memorial arch has faced some pushback. A recent
report by park service staff warned that the proposed gilded arch
could disrupt the historical significance of dozens of sites around
its planned location near the Lincoln Memorial.
The arch, which last month received initial approval from a key
federal commission, would impact the “integrity” of dozens of
historical properties because it would change “character-defining
visual and spatial relationships” between them, the report said.
Americans view the National Park Service favorably
The park service is popular with Americans. About three-quarters of
U.S. adults — including similar shares of Democrats and Republicans
— have a favorable opinion of the agency, according to Pew Research
Center polling from 2025. Only about 1 in 10 have a negative
impression, and about 15% are unsure.
A Washington Post/Ipsos poll from July found that about two-thirds
of Americans say they are “dissatisfied” or “upset” about Trump’s
Washington area projects, including construction of a new ballroom
at the White House, painting the Reflecting Pool and building his
triumphal arch. Republicans are more likely to be “enthusiastic” or
“satisfied” with the projects.
About one-quarter of U.S. adults say Trump’s goal is to “make
Washington more beautiful,” while about half say he has a “different
goal.” In an open-ended question, many respondents speculated that
Trump wants to glorify himself or leave his mark.
The pool and other recent controversies including the exhibit
reviews jeopardize the agency's credibility, Wade said.
“Whether interpreting the Civil War, discussing climate science or
describing the complex stories of Indigenous people, rangers have
sought to present evidence, not political ideology,'' he said. ”That
is now being lost.”
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