Former President Barack Obama oversaw a multi-million dollar renovation of the pool, but the final cost was far less than Trump’s assertion. Additionally, the Biden administration did not perform any significant work. Federal spending records indicate that actual costs are considerably higher than Trump reported.
The reflecting pool, spanning over 2,000 feet, was originally constructed in the 1920s. It is located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument and stands as one of Washington’s most iconic landmarks. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech there in 1963.
Here’s a closer look at the facts.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 allocated at least $34 million for a major reconstruction project that concluded in 2012. No significant repairs were undertaken during Biden’s term. Trump has estimated the cost for the pool’s work to be between $1.5 million and $2 million, but records reveal that contracts awarded for the project have already surpassed $14.8 million.
Repairs completed during Obama’s tenure addressed issues such as stagnant water and the pool’s ongoing leaks, which caused it to sink into the land filled from the Potomac River. An advanced circulation and filtration system was implemented using river water from the nearby Tidal Basin, rather than city drinking water. The pool was also made shallower to conserve water, and its bottom was tinted gray to enhance the reflection of the Washington Monument. Furthermore, paved pathways were introduced.
An Associated Press report from the day the pool reopened in August 2012 confirms the reconstruction cost of $34 million. Federal spending records also indicate that at least $1.3 million more was awarded in contracts related to the project. Despite these efforts, the pool continued to experience leaks and significant algae growth.
Chuck Sams, director of the National Park Service for most of the Biden administration, informed the AP that a “full rehabilitation” of the pool did not progress after receiving an estimate exceeding $100 million. He mentioned that the pool was cleaned annually during Biden’s presidency to control algae accumulation.
In response to Trump’s claim, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers stated in an 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!”
While announcing the current renovations in April during an unrelated Oval Office event, Trump revealed his choice to coat the pool with a new “industrial grade pool” surface in “American flag blue” for $1.5 million, covering a decades-old granite surface he mentioned was “leaking like a sieve.” According to Trump, he abandoned plans to replace the granite due to an estimated cost of $301 million and a timeline of at least three years.
During the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump stated that the pool had been steam-cleaned, fumigated, and coated. He added that workers had “sandblasted it, and then we pebble-blasted,” employing “a very sophisticated form of rubber” to mitigate leaks. Trump also reported that cleaning crews had removed “more than 10 dumpsters of garbage.”
Interior Department spokeswoman Katie Martin did not directly address discrepancies between Trump’s stated project costs and federal records when asked; however, she noted that the price “reflects the effort necessary to expedite the timeline of completing the leak prevention coating project — more personnel, more materials, more equipment and longer hours ahead of our 250th.”
