President Donald Trump has been lashing out at Jeanine Pirro, his top federal prosecutor in D.C., for dropping charges against an alleged Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandal.
Pirro dropped the charges against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn last week after concluding that he hadn’t vandalized the pool and that the damage observed at the pool was from a botched installation.
The following day, the president published a post to Truth Social expressing his disagreement with Pirro’s decision:
Trump: “I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool. I don’t know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM.” pic.twitter.com/sjbKKTY4uv
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 1, 2026
“I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool,” he wrote. “I don’t know what she was thinking?”
“To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM, that included the grass, which had a big 86 47 emblazoned in giant letters on it, and other elements of the surrounding area. There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!” he added.
Trump later doubled down while delivering remarks from the Oval Office on Monday.
“Jeanine Pirro made a mistake,” he bluntly said. “There was vandalism. … Frankly, I think she choked, because the judge was really vicious. Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and went after her department, and I guess she choked.”
When asked about U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s decision to dismiss charges against former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who was accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Trump told reporters on Monday, “Jeanine Pirro made a mistake. It was vandalism.”… pic.twitter.com/5UCto8oBN8
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 3, 2026
Asked by an MS NOW reporter whether he’s “reconsidering her role,” the president then snapped.
“You’re fake news,” he said. “Don’t ever talk again. You’re fake. You’re one of the worst in the business. Fortunately, nobody watches you.”
After a couple more minutes, the president took another shot at Pirro.
“I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro!” he exclaimed. “Really disappointed with Jeanne Pirro! She folded like an umbrella! And people get away with things, and it’s a disgrace!”
Hours later, Pirro was seen entering the White House to speak with Trump and eventually leaving with a briefcase and white box in tow:
Jeanine Pirro spotted leaving the West Wing wheeling a briefcase and white box behind her@abdallahcnn pic.twitter.com/0i6Zcekwki
— Kit Maher (@KitMaherCNN) August 3, 2026
Sources who spoke with ABC News alleged that the president has been mulling whether to fire Pirro.
Regarding Hearn, he’d maintained his innocence since day one.
Speaking with The Washington Post after his arrest for “destruction of government property,” he alleged that he’d spotted a piece of the “American flag blue” liner that was detached from the bottom of the pool and reached in merely to see what it felt like.
“I reached in there, and I was able to grab the end of that flapping piece, the already peeling piece,” he said. “It was still attached to the bottom. I didn’t remove anything.”
He was subsequently accused of grabbing a hose that female National Park Service workers had been using to clear the algae. He denied ever touching the hose, though he did admit his bike tire may have.
In addition to being placed in handcuffs, he was also blamed by the president for allegedly vandalizing the pool:
Trump: “The United States Park Police have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nations magnificent Reflecting Poll. Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail! Work will begin… pic.twitter.com/0HekGSccxY
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 20, 2026
Hearn eventually pleaded not guilty to a single count of destruction of property earlier this month and was scheduled to go to trial in late September.
Weeks later, Pirro’s concluded that Hearn did not vandalize the pool. In documents filed Friday, her team said they’d recently received new information undermining their case against the former Olympic star.
“It was not until after these documents were produced that (prosecutors) first became aware of information showing that the damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented,” they wrote.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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