In June 2026, an image circulated online purportedly showing a screenshot of The Trump Organization's online merchandise store selling pieces of peeling paint from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
One Instagram page that shared the alleged screen capture (archived) wrote, in part:
Trump has done it again. Just when you thought the grift had peaked at 399 dollar sneakers and 60 dollar Bibles, behold our newest collectible innovation in patriotic failure, genuine limited edition chunks of American Flag Blue from the world famous Trump Reflecting Pool.
The image spread on X, Facebook, Reddit and Bluesky. Our readers also contacted us asking about its authenticity.
On June 19, Snopes verified that the "American flag blue" paint that President Donald Trump had authorized to be applied to the reflecting pool was indeed peeling off just days after the completion of a renovation that cost more than $14 million.
At the time of publication, the official Trump Organization merchandise store was not selling pieces of paint that had peeled off the reflecting pool. As the Instagram user who shared the post above suggested, the image and alleged product is fake.
First, the graphics in the screenshot in question do not resemble those on The Trump Organization's official website store.
Additionally, OpenAI's verification site also found the screenshot was generated using the company's artificial intelligence software.
Given the Facebook user initially shared the fake screengrab without a "satire" label, however, we've rated this image as fake.
(ChatGPT)
The fabricated screenshot spread while other social media users seemingly tried to sell (archived, archived, archived) what they claimed to be pieces of paint that had peeled off the reflecting pool. Snopes did not confirm the authenticity of the photos those social media users shared.
For further reading, we have previously investigated other rumors about the reflecting pool and its renovation under the second Trump administration.