President Donald Trump lashed out at vandals who spray painted the World War II Memorial and filled the memorial's fountain with frothy bubbles, calling them "animals."
Red graffiti spray painted onto the memorial Thursday, Aug. 13, spelled out "Clean hands dirty $," but it's unclear as of Friday who committed the act of vandalism on the National Mall.
The area was cordoned off by police Thursday afternoon. U.S. Park Police is investigating the incident, according to the Department of the Interior, which called it a "disgusting act."
“The vandalism that occurred is an utter disgrace and will not
be tolerated,” the department said.
USA TODAY has reached out to the U.S. Park Police and is awaiting a response.
By Friday morning, the venue had been cleaned up and was open to the public.
How did President Trump respond to World War II Memorial vandalism?
In a post on Truth Social Friday morning, Trump called the spray painting of the memorial the latest in a series of vandalism acts at the National Mall.
"THERE CAN BE NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II," Trump said. "First the Reflecting Pool, now this. We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???"
Trump hasrepeatedly claimed new repairs needed for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool were caused by vandalism, though no photos or videos have been released to verify those claims.
Multiple people were charged with damaging the pool, but charges were dropped when prosecutors determined the pool's damage "was the result of flawed installation by the contractor ... and the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026."
The World War II Memorial vandalism follows the recent appearance of “8647” traced on the National Mall grass, a reference to removing Trump from office.
Park Police said at the time the cause of the lawn's discoloration had not been determined and grass samples had been collected for testing.
Where is the World War II Memorial?
The World War II Memorial is located on the National Mall in Washington DC between the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument.
It sits at the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool, across from the Lincoln Memorial.
The memorial honors the 16 million Americans who served in the U.S. military during World War II, including more than 400,000 who died.
USA TODAY reporter Michelle Del Rey contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Where do these animals come from?' Trump blasts WWII Memorial vandals
