Just days after publicly blasting one of his closest political allies, President Donald Trump is still refusing to say whether Jeanine Pirro will survive the controversy surrounding the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool prosecution.
Speaking with reporters before boarding Air Force One Tuesday night, Trump was asked the question many in Washington have been waiting to hear.
“Is she safe? Are you going to keep her in the position?”
Trump paused.
“Uh…” he replied before adding, “I haven’t made a determination.”
President Trump, en route to Las Vegas, told reporters that he has not “made a determination” on Jeanine Pirro’s job status, that there is “a lot of progress” on the Strait of Hormuz and touted that the economic numbers of U.S. are “unbelievable like never ever before.” pic.twitter.com/Z9JQvuHcOU
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 5, 2026
The hesitation marks another dramatic chapter in what has become one of the administration’s most unexpected internal disputes.
The controversy began after Pirro’s office abruptly dismissed felony charges against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who had been accused of vandalizing the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
In a lengthy court filing, federal prosecutors acknowledged newly obtained evidence suggested the damage was more consistent with a rushed and defective installation than intentional vandalism. Pirro’s filing argued that critical information from the Interior Department had not been provided before prosecutors sought an indictment.
That conclusion directly contradicted Trump’s repeated public insistence that vandals had deliberately damaged the project.
Earlier this week, the president didn’t hide his frustration. “I told her I was not happy,” Trump said after accusing Pirro of mishandling the case.
He has previously said she “choked” under pressure after the Justice Department reversed course.
Behind the scenes, the disagreement appears to have become even more intense. According to multiple reports, Pirro met privately with Trump at the White House and argued she had been blindsided by incomplete information from the Interior Department. Reporting from The Wall Street Journal says career prosecutors had already developed significant doubts about the case after reviewing engineering evidence indicating construction flaws—not criminal vandalism—were responsible for much of the damage.
Other reporting says Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Pirro clashed during discussions over who bore responsibility for the failed prosecution. Pirro reportedly maintained that her office acted only after discovering evidence that had not been disclosed during the initial investigation.
Meanwhile, Pirro’s office has now moved to dismiss additional Reflecting Pool-related cases involving three other defendants, citing the same underlying evidence regarding the project’s installation.
Trump’s unusually public criticism—and his refusal to guarantee her future—has left Washington wondering whether one of his longest-serving political allies is now on borrowed time.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Mediaite: Trump Hesitates When Reporter Asks if Jeanine Pirro’s Job Is “Safe” or Not: “Uh…”
- The Wall Street Journal: Pirro’s About-Face in Pool Case Followed Prosecutors’ Private Concerns
- The Daily Beast: Trump Declines to Say Whether Jeanine Pirro Will Keep Her Job
- The Daily Beast: Pirro and Doug Burgum Clash Over Reflecting Pool Case
