Reality-checking Trump on National Mall’s Reflecting Pool renovations

This article initially appeared on PolitiFact

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has lengthy leaned into his background as an actual property developer. Almost a 12 months and a half into his second time period, he has been centered more and more on efforts that can depart an enduring bodily imprint on the nation’s capital.

He’s torn down the White House’s East Wing in an effort to construct a ballroom, paved over the White House Rose Garden, initiated plans for a 250-foot triumphal arch, renamed the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in his honor (and later closed it for renovations), and requested for designs to renovate public golf courses inside the metropolis.

In latest weeks, Trump has additionally ordered a snap renovation of the National Mall’s Reflecting Pool, which spans the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.

WATCH: Lawsuit challenges Trump’s Reflecting Pool venture as projected prices soar

The Reflecting Pool renovation has garnered essentially the most consideration for Trump’s intention to color the underside “American Flag Blue.”

“I love construction, it’s very exciting,” he mentioned in a May 27 Cabinet meeting, noting his love of constructing swimming swimming pools. He known as the renovation “a really important thing” and mentioned he would possibly launch a renovation of the close by World War II Memorial fountain.

Critics have assailed the Reflecting Pool modifications, saying it will flip one of many nation’s hallowed monuments right into a swimming pool.

“The Reflecting Pool is part of one of the most iconic designed landscapes in the world, and has defined the visual and experiential character of the nation’s capital for over a century,” wrote plaintiffs in a lawsuit that seeks to cease the venture. The plaintiffs, a company of panorama architects, mentioned continuing with the renovation would create a “permanent blemish on the National Mall.” The case is pending.

Since launching the venture, Trump has exaggerated the pool’s measurement, the renovation timeline and prices, and altered his tune on the central contractor. Here are fact-checks of some latest Trump statements concerning the venture.

The Reflecting Pool is “longer than the tallest building in the world if you set it on the side, and it’s almost 200 feet wide.” — Trump at a May 27 Cabinet assembly

This is exaggerated each methods.

The rectangular pool is 2,028 feet long, which might rank it fourth on this planet if it have been a skyscraper, based on the Skyscraper Center‘s checklist of tallest buildings. First is Burj Khalifa in Dubai at 2,717 ft, adopted by Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur at 2,227 ft, and Shanghai Tower in Shanghai at 2,073 ft.

The pool is 167 feet vast.

The Reflecting Pool repairs will take about “two weeks.” — Trump at May 7 and May 11  White House occasions

Trump notoriously affords two-week estimates that do not take a look at. That’s taking place right here, too.

As of this writing, it has been three weeks since Trump’s first estimate of Reflecting Pool updates, and the house isn’t open. But Trump mentioned extra work was carried out than initially envisioned.

During a go to to the Reflecting Pool on the afternoon of May 27, the complete size of the pool was lined in black, with vehicles and equipment seen and making noise. The pool perimeter was encircled by black fencing.

READ MORE: Trump drives throughout Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to examine blue coating he is including

On May 18, the Trump administration mentioned in a court filing that “the project will conclude, and the pool will be re-filled, in the coming weeks.” In the May 27 Cabinet assembly, Trump mentioned, “We are probably 70% finished with it” and mentioned it will open “in a couple of weeks.”

“We decided to do much more than we originally planned,” Trump mentioned. “I thought I was just going to do the surface, but we said, the problem is the outer ring looks pretty bad too, where you walk on. So we sandblasted that.”

An indication posted on fencing on the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall on May 27, 2026. (Louis Jacobson / PolitiFact)

The federal authorities will repair the pool for about “$1.8 million.” — Trump on May 7 in remarks to reporters

Many individuals who have launched into their very own transforming will relate to this actuality: The prices of the venture have multiplied.

Trump said May 7 of the price of the reflecting pool, “We had estimates to fix it of about $355 million and it was going to take 3.5 years, you can see by the size of it. And so we’re going to be able to do it for about ($1.8 million), and it’s going to take one week.”

The New York Times reported that in April, the federal authorities gave a no-bid contract invoking an exemption to aggressive bidding supposed for pressing conditions. Trump desires the venture accomplished for July 4 250th anniversary celebrations.

READ MORE: Design plan for Trump’s proposed Washington arch is authorized by Trump-appointed fee

The Times reported in May that the price rose to $13.1 million, including $6.2 million. Federal contract records present an Interior Department award to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings to color the pool.

Trump has acknowledged the elevated prices, saying it is turn out to be a much bigger venture. “I originally thought I’d do it for $2 million or $3 million, just do a base,” Trump mentioned May 21. “But now we’re fixing up the exterior of it we’re doing. So, we’ll probably be in it for less than $20 million.”

We requested the Trump administration for paperwork displaying a earlier estimate of $355 million and didn’t get a response to that query. Instead, an Interior Department spokesperson responded with criticism of former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

The Obama administration spent $35 million, a federal contract showed, making an attempt to resolve issues with the pool together with leaks and algae.This effort didn’t resolve these issues; it was nonetheless inexperienced and leaks continued..

Chuck Sams, director of the National Park Service beneath Biden, informed CNN that the service had obtained an estimate “above $100 million” however didn’t transfer ahead.

On whether or not Trump knew the contractor overhauling the Reflecting Pool

Trump has modified his story about whether or not he knew the contractor.

The Interior Department spokesperson didn’t immediately reply to our query about whether or not Trump knew Atlantic Industrial Coatings and mentioned the corporate chosen was the one one which had the experience, workers and supplies to finish the venture on time.

The White House informed PolitiFact that Trump doesn’t have a private relationship with the contractor however was accustomed to the corporate’s work.

PolitiFact left a message with Atlantic Industrial Coatings and didn’t hear again.

Trump has provided differing accounts of his ties to the contractor:

• April 23 video: “I said, What we’re going to do is, I’m going to call all three of these people that have worked for me in the past, doing swimming pools.”
• At another event on the same day, Trump mentioned he informed Doug Burgum, the secretary of the inside,  “I have a guy who’s unbelievable at doing swimming pools. Up the road, we have a club. We have an Olympic size swimming pool. He did it 20 years ago and it’s perfect to this day. So I asked them, I said, I have an idea. I’m going to send my contractor over and take a look. He looked at it. He called me up. He said, ‘Sir, we can do something on it.’ He said, it’s perfect, actually. He said, ‘It’s really decaying and it’s in terrible condition.'”
• May 4 White House small business summit: “So I have some very good contractors, some good, one or two in particular. And I sent the two of the, actually, the three best. I said, Do me a favor, fellas, go take a look at the reflecting pool that sits in between Lincoln and Washington, the beautiful, what should be beautiful reflecting pool.”
• May 12 Truth social post: “Also, I didn’t give out the contract, ‘Interior’ did, to a contractor I did not know, and have never used before.”