ABC’s *The View* has never been known for holding back when it comes to criticizing President Donald Trump, but co-host Whoopi Goldberg took things to a new level during a recent segment, suggesting the president should actually face jail time over renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The comments came amid an ongoing political dispute surrounding the newly restored landmark, which has become an unexpected flashpoint after the Trump administration repaired the pool and increased security following multiple reported acts of vandalism.
Goldberg began by dismissing President Trump’s claims that left-wing activists had intentionally damaged the pool’s new protective liner.
“He is claiming that vandals are to blame,” Goldberg told viewers. “He says they illegally placed chemicals in the water and left a 300-foot gash in the pool.”
She also referenced the arrests that followed the reported incidents, noting that Trump has called for serious criminal penalties against those responsible.
“Now, five people are said to have been arrested,” Goldberg continued. “He says a ten-year prison sentence will be strictly enforced.”
Rather than focusing on those accused of damaging the historic monument, Goldberg turned her criticism squarely toward the president himself.
“If he says he’s going to jail for 10 years, I’m going to let him go,” she said sarcastically. “It seems to me, had he not messed with the pool, it would still be a reflecting pool instead of a liquid jungle.”
Goldberg went on to argue that there was “no proof” supporting allegations of vandalism, despite reports from federal authorities announcing arrests and investigations connected to damage at the site.
She then escalated her rhetoric even further by suggesting that Americans should sue the president over the renovation project.
“I want somebody to sue,” Goldberg said. “If a contractor did this at your house, this is what you would do. I think the country needs to say we’re suing you… and we’re suing the people who did it because clearly they didn’t know what they were doing.”
The remarks quickly generated criticism from conservatives, who argued that Goldberg appeared more interested in attacking Trump than addressing allegations that a national monument had been deliberately damaged.
President Trump has consistently maintained that the Reflecting Pool was vandalized after extensive restoration work was completed.
In a recent statement, the president announced that multiple arrests had been made in connection with the incidents.
“Six people have been arrested, and seven people have been cited, for the damage they did to our Country’s now beautiful Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote.
He described the reported damage as intentional rather than accidental.
“The 350-foot gash, made by a very sharp knife or razors, is actually numerous slashes over a very long 350-foot length,” Trump said. “It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night, to create such a condition.”
The president also noted that repairs remain ongoing and that sections of damaged landscaping are being replaced.
“We will drain some of the water, either immediately before or after the Fourth of July, to do the permanent repair,” Trump added, while praising the overall condition of the renovated landmark.
The Reflecting Pool has become an unlikely political battleground in recent weeks, with supporters applauding the administration for restoring one of America’s most recognizable memorials and increasing enforcement against vandalism.
Critics, meanwhile, have questioned both the renovation process and the administration’s handling of the site.
For many conservatives, however, Goldberg’s suggestion that the president—not those accused of damaging federal property—belongs behind bars is yet another example of how deeply partisan rhetoric has become in today’s political climate.
