Trump blames vandals for dead grass after July 4 event

President Donald Trump blamed vandals for damaging a stretch of grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial, an area that hosted the stage and crowds for his July 4 "Salute to America" celebration. In a Truth Social post on Sunday, August 16, Trump shared an image of the brown, torn-up turf and wrote, "Look what VANDALS did to the grass connecting the vandalized World War II Monument and the vandalized Reflecting Pool." He added that anyone who believes the Reflecting Pool was not vandalized "should go back to Law School!"

The area in question is located between the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. It served as the site for the large stage and seating for the Independence Day event, which featured military flyovers, musical performances, and a keynote address from the president. Trump has previously stated that more than 400,000 people attended the celebration.

However, footage from a live EarthCam camera overlooking the Washington Monument, reviewed by the Associated Press, shows that the grass was nearly entirely torn up by July 11, just days after the event. The footage and subsequent photographs depict workers removing the event infrastructure,...