President Donald Trump on Friday, June 19, wrote a lengthy Truth Social post where he blamed vandals for the algae in the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC. The pool, which is on the National Mall and lies between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, is a popular tourist attraction as well.
It has recently come under scrutiny following renovations ordered by President Trump. The paint has reportedly peeled off and the surface has been marred by algae. Now, the Republican commander-in-chief has called out ABC reporter Jonathan Karl while slamming vandals for the recent turn of events.
“We’ve cleaned, renovated, and beautified over 45 Monuments and Memorials, 28 Statues, and 22 Fountains in Washington, D.C. Things are really looking good in our Nation’s Capital, and add to that the fact that when I became President, Crime was rampant, and now, Washington, D.C., is one of the Safest Cities anywhere in the United States,” Trump wrote at the start of his message.
“However, we’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool, which sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial. Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed,” he added. Trump was referring to the ‘8647’ on the National Mall lawn, which had prompted an investigation too.
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Trump then continued “No different than the chemicals that were used on the National Mall, they used something similar in the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work.” The president proceeded to directly call out Karl, a veteran journalist in the post.
“Lightweight ABC Reporter, Jonathan Karl, was seen sticking his hand into the Pool, and trying to rip the rubber off of the surface,” he said.
Trump concluded “The algae is 75% gone, and the condition will soon be completely remedied, and the area that was vandalized, fortunately, is just a small area of damage, and will be fixed early next week. It’s a shame that the Radical Left Lunatics, most likely Dumocats [Democrats], who have spent their lives trying to ruin our Country, are free to do so. Law Enforcement is actively investigating this situation, and will hopefully have it resolved soon.”
He also shared a post appearing to show a protester wearing a ‘Team Algae’ t-shirt, next to the Reflecting Pool.
Amid Trump’s latest rant and targeted outrage, here’s all you need to know about Jonathan Karl.
Who is Jonathan Karl?
Karl is the chief Washington correspondent for ABC News. He also co-anchors the show This Week, with George Stephanopoulos. The 58-year-old is president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and authored a book titled Front Row at the Trump Show.
Karl has reported from over 30 countries during his career, his bio with ABC News states. He has won the Walter Cronkite Award for National Individual Achievement and the National Press Foundation’s Everett McKinley Dirksen Award, the highest honor for Congressional reporting. Apart from that, Karl is among a handful to win the Radio and TV Correspondents’ Association’s Joan Shorenstein Barone Award for excellence in Washington-based reporting twice.
Karl also has an Emmy for covering the 2009 Inauguration of President Barack Obama. In Washington, Karl has covered the White House, Capitol Hill, the Pentagon and the State Department. Karl reported under four presidents, including having covered the White House beat in Trump’s first term.
Karl joined ABC News in 2003, before which he was with CNN. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie. Karl has conducted numerous high-profile interviews, including ones with Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and Charles Koch. He’s also interviewed Elton John, Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera, singer and actor Barbra Streisand, Pete Townshend of The Who, actor George Clooney, baseball legend Ernie Banks, Yoko Ono, the Dalai Lama, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, singer/songwriter James Taylor, among others.
