President Donald Trump on Tuesday morning criticized The New York Times after the newspaper reported that the cost of work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool had surged to $13.1 million.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused the Times of inaccurately describing the project and failing to credit him for what he described as major savings in time and money.
His comments followed a New York Times report that said Trump had previously stated his selected contractor would charge $1.8 million to repair the Reflecting Pool and paint it blue. The Times reported that the actual cost is now more than seven times that figure after the size of the contract nearly doubled.
Federal records showed the Interior Department increased the earlier cost by $6.2 million, The New York Times reported, bringing the planned payment to $13.1 million. The Times also reported that the price appeared to include a 20% profit margin for the contractor, who was awarded the job on a no-bid contract.
The president said that the project was not “just a paint job,” but a “deeply complicated” construction effort meant to stop leaks, improve the pool’s appearance and preserve the landmark for decades.
Trump said he worked with the Department of the Interior and claimed the Reflecting Pool should be considered a “highly sophisticated swimming pool” rather than a leaky facade.
Trump appeared to direct his criticism at The New York Times’ portrayal of the work and its reporting on the cost and contract. He said the Times’ report missed the point of what he described as a faster, less costly way to solve a long-standing problem at one of Washington’s most visible landmarks.
Trump also criticized previous repair efforts under the Obama and Biden administrations, claiming they spent at least $55 million without properly fixing the pool. He said earlier work left the landmark leaking, unsanitary and visually poor.
Trump said his approach could produce a better result for about $5 million to $6 million, instead of what he described as a possible $400 million, four-year construction plan. He said the work could be completed in about two weeks.
Trump said he did not personally award the contract. He said the Department of the Interior handled the contract and awarded it to a contractor he said he did not know and had never used before.
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