The Battles Trump Can’t Stop Fighting
President Trump is continuing to pursue a debunked vandalism case against a former Olympic athlete regarding the Lincoln Memorial's Reflecting Pool. Despite federal prosecutors dropping the charges, the administration is reportedly pressuring the Justice Department to reopen the investigation.
Why it matters
The story highlights concerns regarding the politicization of the Department of Justice and the president's tendency to prioritize personal vendettas over established legal findings.
The president has spent the past week re-litigating old conflicts.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty August 11, 2026, 6 PM ET Share Save This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.
Over the past few days, the president has continued his crusade against one of the supposed vandals of the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool. In a lengthy post on Truth Social on Sunday, he alleged that “a National Park Service career employee, a highly credible witness,” had caught the former Olympic canoeist David Hearn in the act of “ripping and tugging at the Pool’s somewhat delicate coating.”
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in