On Tuesday, President Trump pushed back against The New York Times for its coverage of repairs to the historic Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. In a post on Truth Social, Trump slammed the publication for mischaracterizing the work his administration had done to restore the structure to working order.
“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…” President Trump said. After alleging the paper covered the 2024 presidential election inaccurately, Trump said the New York Times is “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.”
Trump had previously criticized the Obama administration’s efforts to renovate the structure, which he has described as expensive and ineffective. Although the construction done during Obama’s term involved structural changes, Trump said the Reflecting Pool was still in desperate need of an upgrade.
“They squandered at least 55 Million Dollars haplessly trying, with no chance of success, to get the Reflecting Pool to work. Instead, they made it worse, keeping it closed for years, and ending up with a leaking, smelling, ode to both of their failed Administrations,” President Trump said. “It was an embarrassment to Washington, D.C., and to our Country, itself. Despite the vast sums of money spent, they never got the pool to work, and cosmetically it was a total mess for all to see.”
President Trump’s response comes after The New York Times reported on the administration’s decision to award a no-bid contract and the increasing costs of completing the project. A spokeswoman at the Department of the Interior said the cost had increased due to the deadline to complete the work in time for the 250th anniversary celebration of U.S. independence, which is scheduled for July. Trump stated the project would be done quickly, at a fraction of the projected cost. He also disputed any impropriety in the selection of a contractor, saying the company chosen to complete the job was one he did not know and had not worked with previously.
“This is not just a paint job, like lowlife “reporter,” David Fahrenthold, of the NYT so inaccurately and maliciously stated, it is a deeply complicated work of smart and beautiful construction,” President Trump said. “It won’t leak, it will shine, and be the pride of Washington D.C. for decades to come.”
