RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The World War II Memorial fountain in Washington, D.C., situated near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, was vandalized on Thursday with graffiti and soap.
Images shared on social media showed bright green and pink paint on the fountain's stonework, while part of the water feature was full of bubbles. Video showed some bubbles floating in the air.
The memorial sits on the National Mall , which has been a focus of President Donald Trump's efforts to refurbish and enhance the capital's landmarks and memorials in recent months. While some have been heralded as a success, the Trump administration's efforts to fix the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have been fraught with issues.
Shortly after the vandalism was spotted, the memorial was closed off to the public and the media.
"The World War II Memorial is a sacred place to honor the service of our members of the Armed Forces and the over 400,000 Americans who gave the ultimate sacrifice in WWII," a Department of the Interior spokesperson told Newsweek in a statement. "The vandalism that occurred is an utter disgrace and will not be tolerated."
"Our U.S. Park Police are on the scene and the investigation is ongoing. The public should know we will find the person responsible for this disgusting act," the statement said.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment Thursday afternoon.
The Friends of the National World War II Memorial, a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving the site, condemned the vandalism in a statement on Thursday.
“Whatever the intent, defacing a place dedicated to the service and sacrifice of the World War II generation is unacceptable,” the group said. “There are many places in our country for expression, debate and disagreement. A national memorial honoring those who served and those who never returned home should never be used as a canvas for vandalism.”
One visitor who spoke to Newsweek who said the heavy police presence Thursday felt "a little bit scary."
"It's definitely not good. It is a very important monument for the country. Somebody vandalizing it is not a good scene," he told Newsweek .
Another passerby, who identified herself as Paulie, said that when she saw the U.S. Parks Police, she thought something more serious had happened.
"When I saw it was a bubble bath, obviously that's disrespectful, but you would think someone got seriously injured," she said. "This is something that should be nonpartisan. It's honoring our veterans, vandalizing that isn't making a point."
The National World War II Memorial stands prominently on the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, honoring the 16 million Americans who served in the armed forces during World War II and the more than 400,000 who died during the conflict.
Dedicated in 2004 after years of fundraising and planning, the memorial was designed by architect Friedrich St. Florian and features 56 granite pillars representing U.S. states and territories that existed during the war, along with two triumphal arches symbolizing the Atlantic and Pacific theaters.
Its centerpiece is a large fountain surrounded by bronze wreaths and commemorative inscriptions. Since opening, the memorial has become one of the most visited sites in the nation's capital, drawing millions of visitors annually and serving as the focal point for major Veterans Day, Memorial Day and World War II remembrance ceremonies.
The site also includes the Freedom Wall, which contains 4,048 gold stars representing roughly 100 American service members who died in the war for each star displayed.
"Defacing this memorial with graffiti and paint and dumping soap into its fountains is not an act of expression. It is an act of profound disrespect, a slap in the face to the veterans who served and sacrificed and to the families who carried that burden at home," Veterans of Foreign Wars National Commander Cory Geisler told Newsweek in a statement. "It is an especially painful insult to the few remaining World War II veterans still with us today. It is personal for me as well, as both of my grandfathers served during World War II."
Geisler said the VFW would support the Trump administration's investigation and prosecution of any suspects.
The vandalism comes amid a broader Trump administration effort to renovate and reshape some of Washington's most recognizable public landmarks.
Earlier this year, the National Park Service launched a multi-million-dollar modernization project at the World War II Memorial that included upgrades to aging fountain systems, lighting and electrical infrastructure. The agency said the work was intended to improve reliability and appearance ahead of America's 250th anniversary celebrations.
The renovation was linked by federal officials to Trump's executive order directing agencies to make D.C. "Safe and Beautiful," part of a wider campaign to restore monuments, federal buildings and public spaces in the capital.
The World War II Memorial has also emerged as a specific focus of the administration's plans. In May, Trump suggested that the memorial's fountain could undergo additional cosmetic work after officials began renovations of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool , saying the basin of the WWII fountain was "also in pretty bad shape."
The proposal sparked debate among preservationists and historians, reflecting broader tensions between modernization efforts, maintenance needs and concerns about altering historically significant landmarks.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gabe Whisnant and Sam Wilson .
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