In April, President Donald Trump announced a project to revamp the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. This involved hiring a contractor to coat its large granite basin at a projected cost of $1.5 million. During a Cabinet meeting, he criticized previous administrations for allegedly spending “hundreds of millions of dollars” on site repairs. Former President Barack Obama oversaw a multimillion-dollar renovation of the pool, but the final expense was far from Trump’s estimation. In contrast, the Biden administration did not undertake major work there. Federal spending records indicate Trump’s project costs exceeded his estimate.
The reflecting pool, extending over 2,000 feet, was originally constructed in the 1920s. It is situated between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, making it one of Washington’s most iconic landmarks. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech at this site in 1963.
Trump’s Statement
TRUMP: “The Biden administration and the Obama administration spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to get it to work, and they failed. And we’ll be spending, you’ll give me a number, but I think it’s a very low number. It’s like in the number that we originally talked about.”
The Facts
This claim is incorrect. The Obama administration spent around $34 million on a comprehensive, two-year reconstruction project completed in 2012. During Biden’s tenure, no major pool repairs occurred. Trump stated the renovation costs would range from $1.5 million to $2 million, yet records reveal that at least $14.8 million worth of contracts have been issued so far.
Obama’s renovations addressed issues like stagnant water alongside problems like leaking and sinking into the land. The pool was reengineered to incorporate a circulation system that used river water rather than city drinking water. It was also made shallower to conserve water, with its bottom coated gray to enhance the reflective quality of the Washington Monument. Additional paved paths were introduced.
An Associated Press report highlights that the reconstruction cost $34 million, to which the government added at least $1.3 million in related contracts. Despite these efforts, the pool continued experiencing leaks and notable algae growth.
Chuck Sams, the director of the National Park Service during much of Biden’s term, indicated no “full rehabilitation” took place following an estimate surpassing $100 million. However, the pool underwent annual cleaning to manage algae under Biden.
Responding to Trump’s assertions, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers commented via email: “Thanks to President Trump, the Reflecting Pool will be restored to all its glory ahead of America’s 250th celebrations at a fraction of the money that the former Presidents Obama and Biden squandered only to worsen its condition!”
In April, during an Oval Office event, Trump announced plans to coat the pool with an “industrial grade pool” surface in “American flag blue” for $1.5 million, covering the aged granite surface which he claimed was “leaking like a sieve.” He allegedly abandoned plans to replace the granite due to an estimated cost of $301 million and a three-year timeframe.
During a Cabinet meeting, Trump stated that the pool underwent steam-cleaning, fumigation, and coating. Workers “sandblasted it, and then we pebble-blasted,” using advanced rubber forms to prevent leaks. Trump mentioned that cleaning crews removed “more than 10 dumpsters of garbage.”
Interior Department spokeswoman Katie Martin, when asked about the discrepancies between Trump’s stated project costs and federal records, did not address the differences. She mentioned that the project’s price “reflects the effort necessary to expedite the timeline of completing the leak prevention coating project — more people, more materials, more equipment, and longer hours ahead of our 250th.”
Associated Press writer Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.