Trump spouts new theory that vandals destroyed Reflecting Pool 'in the dark of night'
rawstory.com
Trump claims a 350-foot "razor blade" gash appeared in the Reflecting Pool overnight — but is a vandalism theory covering for a failed renovation?
Motivated ReasoningScapegoatingAttribution ErrorNarrative Framing

Theory Briefing
- Trump described a gash longer than a football field cut into the Reflecting Pool's bottom, allegedly by vandals using razor blades in the dark of night.
- The vandalism claim emerged after Trump's Reflecting Pool renovations failed, raising the question of whether the theory deflects blame from the project itself.
- No evidence of vandals is cited in the article — the 350-foot damage detail comes entirely from Trump's own account.
- Blaming outside saboteurs for a high-profile public failure is a classic way leaders protect their reputation when a project goes wrong.