Trump's inspection report from Reflecting Pool astonishes analysts: 'Bonkers'

President Donald Trump astonished onlookers on Sunday after he announced the findings from his recent inspection of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which has come under significant scrutiny over the last week.

Trump initially embarked on renovating the Reflecting Pool as part of his efforts to "restore" Washington, D.C., but the project quickly spiraled out of control as costs ballooned and the stubborn algae that has plagued the pool for years returned. The attention has drawn the eyes of television cameras and curious observers alike.

On Sunday, Trump claimed on Truth Social he inspected the pool, and shared his observations with his followers.

"Work will begin immediately on fixing the seriously vandalized Reflecting Pool. I just inspected it, and could only say to myself, and those gathered around me, WOW, who would do such a thing? SICK, DERANGED PEOPLE!" Trump wrote.

Trump added a curious question to the end of the announcement: "We will fix it?"

Trump's post came at a time when some observers had reported that a dead duckling had been found in the Reflecting Pool. Political analysts reacted to Trump's strange claims on social media.

"Bonkers," Marcelo Lima, a conservation biologist, posted on Bluesky.

"Someone just told him that the murder of a duckling just took this feckless, incompetent disaster to another level," Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch, posted on X.

"As someone said, Trump claims he made Washington the safest city in America, but now says he was unable to protect a national monument, despite constant work and attention on site," T.J. Stiles, an American historian, posted on Bluesky. "Faced with a choice of claiming incompetence in redecorating or in public safety, he went with the latter."

"The fingerprints of Al-Gaeda are all over this," Omar Wasow, assistant professor of political science at UC Berkeley, posted on Bluesky.