In June 2026, a claim spread online that President Donald Trump's motorcade had driven through the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after it was painted and sealed as part of a more than $14 million renovation project.
The rumor circulated as the U.S. National Park Service struggled to maintain the appearance of the Washington, D.C., landmark after Trump ordered it to be repainted to "American flag blue" for the country's 250th anniversary.
Examples of the claim spread on X and Instagram, while the self-described progressive Facebook page Occupy Democrats posted it on Facebook. That post featured an image of five black SUVs driving through the empty pool, and overlaid text suggesting the motorcade may have damaged the paint and sealant before it had fully set, thus later causing the paint to peel off.
(Occupy Democrats)
Several Snopes readers also emailed us and searched our website to verify the veracity of the story.
In short, the claim is true and the images are authentic. In early May 2026, after the pool was repainted dark blue and before the NPS began to refill it with water, a White House official posted a video showing Trump's motorcade driving though the landmark.
Snopes contacted the White House to ask about the purpose of the drive across the pool. We will update this article if we receive a response.
Claims that the official cars had driven though the pool surfaced as early as May 7, 2026 (archived):
Various X posts credited the above video to White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, who posted it earlier that day (archived):
"They see me rolling," Cheung's post reads, referencing rapper Chamillionaire's 2005 song "Ridin'." Cheung added, "President Trump rides in the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial!"
That day and the next, multiple news outlets reported on the motorcade crossing the hallowed site, including CNN, The New York Post, NBC, Washington, D.C., CBS affiliate WUSA9, ABC7 News and Forbes.
CNN said Trump "was there to tour the site and see the new color."
NBC showed footage of the cars crossing a seemingly wet patch of paint, leaving tire marks behind. Forbes showed the same clip.
It is unclear whether the motorcade may have contributed to the paint peeling off a month later.
For further reading, Snopes debunked a rumor that the Trump Organization was selling pieces of peeling paint from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.