Trump attacks New York Times over report on reflecting pool’s rising costs

The Hill ^ | 05/12/26 8:36 AM ET | Sophie Brams

[Kleon]

President Trump ripped The New York Times on Tuesday morning over a report detailing the ballooning cost of his project to repair and renovate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

“The Failing New York Times, which is one of the worst newspapers anywhere in the World, and is losing subscribers on an hourly basis, is now at it again,” Trump wrote in a lengthy, early-morning Truth Social post.

“Just like they covered my Landslide 2024 Presidential Election Victory inaccurately, and without shame, constantly making major mistakes and incorrect predictions at every path along the way, they are now trying to justify Obama and Biden’s expensively botched attempt at fixing the long broken, unsightly, and unsanitary Reflecting Pool that NOW sits majestically between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial,” he continued.

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[deks]

The Obama administration spent $34 million between 2010 and 2012 on a major renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which included structural repairs, foundation work, and a new filtration system.

Despite this effort, leaks and algae problems persisted, with the pool continuing to lose around 16 million gallons annually.

The Biden administration proposed a more extensive plan, with estimates cited at $301 million over three years, for a full structural rebuild, which was not pursued.

Leo AI

[Kleon]

“Instead of taking 4 years to build, at a cost, granite pavers and all, of 400 Million Dollars, we could construct a far superior Reflecting Pool for 5 or 6 Million Dollars, and could complete the project in 2 weeks rather than 4 years. What a difference in time and money, and for a far superior end result!”

He previously said "Government bureaucrats wanted $300 MILLION" and that it would be done for $1.5–2 MILLION. Where did the extra $100 million come from?

[deks]

~~Where did the extra $100 million come from?~~

Cost overruns are to be expected. They are ubiquitous.

[silverleaf]

It’s $13 million completed
Not an “extra” $100 million
Cost went up to expedite completion for upcoming 250 yr celebrations in DC

[silverleaf]

Has the NYT tackled the cost overrun issue of Jerome Powell’s $2 Billion Fed Reserve HQ renovation?

[Redmen4ever]

Everything the Federal government touches balloons in cost.

When a renovation of the Federal Reserve Board building was proposed in 2017, it was supposed to cost $100 million. It wound up costing $2.5 billion.

https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/09/14/remake-the-fed-reserve-board-seeking-contractor.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/25-billion-renovation-center-dojs-criminal-investigation-federal-reser-rcna253540

Part of the reason for such gigantic cost overruns is endless delays including litigation, inter-agency coordination, and numerous self-appointed interest groups. Another part is that cost is simply past along to taxpayers.

As to whether these cost overruns are dismissed as inevitable and nothing unusual is a matter of perspective. If you’re the New York Times, it’s scandalous if somehow connected to Trump; and, it’s o.k. otherwise.

The only realistic alternative is to keep the federal government as small as possible, as we were able to do pretty well, except during major wars, up to the 1930s. Since then government has been growing faster than the economy so that, today, the debt is the biggest existential threat we face.

[Kleon]

Cost overruns are to be expected. They are ubiquitous.

But this isn't about cost overruns. He's talking about the same report but using two different figures.

[HIDEK6]

Fraud, graft and embezzlement.

[Liz]

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was built in 1923, designed to create a mirror-like
image of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument of shallow, still, calming water.

[mass55th]

I see the Trust that is supposed to oversee the reflecting pool, is suing Trump over the blue paint job. They were perfectly happy with the pool as it was, being scummy, and full of the accumulation of rotted leaves that fell over the years. For an alleged non-profit Trust whose responsibility was to keep the pool clean and beautiful, they allowed it to turn into a bog. I think it’s time that the government conducts an audit into that Trust’s bookkeeping.