Key facts
- President Donald Trump's claims about the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation have been fact-checked.
- Initial estimates for the project were one week and $1.5 million, but it has taken over four months and costs have risen to nearly $20 million.
- Trump claimed he called known contractors, but later stated he did not know the awarded contractors.
- Previous administrations' spending on the pool was significantly less than Trump's claims.
- Damage to the pool, initially attributed by Trump to vandals, is now believed by prosecutors to be due to contractor error and rushed work.
President Donald Trump's statements regarding the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have been scrutinized, revealing discrepancies between his claims and the facts.
Initially, Trump promised the project would take just one week and cost approximately $1.5 million. However, four months later, work was still ongoing, and the pool had been drained for a second time to address issues with algae blooms and a peeling coating. Trump's cost estimates later increased to "less than $20 million," with over $16 million in contracts already awarded to companies like Ohio-based Green Water Solutions for a water-purification system and Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings for repainting and waterproofing.
Trump initially suggested he would call on contractors he had previously worked with for pool repairs, and multiple no-bid contracts were awarded. He later backtracked, stating on Truth Social that he did not award the contracts and had never used the contractors before. He reiterated this stance at an Oval Office event.
Regarding past spending, Trump claimed the Obama and Biden administrations spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the pool without success. Records indicate the Obama administration spent at least $34 million on a two-year reconstruction project that concluded in 2012, with no major repairs undertaken during the Biden administration.
Trump also asserted the new coating would be indestructible and last for at least 50 years. However, reports of damage led him to blame vandals, suggesting chemicals were put in the water to create algae blooms. Authorities made at least seven arrests, including charging former Olympian David Hearn with felony destruction. The Justice Department later moved to dismiss the case against Hearn, with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro stating that evidence indicated the damage resulted from a botched installation and a rush to complete the project before an upcoming celebration. Charges were also dropped against three other individuals.
Trump has criticized the Justice Department's decision, maintaining his belief that vandals were responsible.