The cost of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation project increased from 1.8 million dollars on May 7, 2026, to 13.1 million dollars by May 8, 2026.
Posted by Letters from an American, Checked
- Sources
- 3 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
Letters from an AmericanAug 2, 2026
The claim matches the reporting: Trump said on May 7 the fix would take a week and cost about $1.8 million, and by May 8 the cost had risen to $13.1 million, per Senator Blumenthal's letter and the NYT reporting relayed by The Hill and PolitiFact.
What was said
… President Donald J. Trump announced in April that he was planning to renovate the reflecting pool, and on May 7 said it would take a week and cost about 1.8 million dollars. By May 8, the cost had jumped to 13.1 million dollars, with the contract awarded on a no bid basis. When the pool reopened on June 6, Trump declared it a triumph, writing on social media, Thank you, President Trump. But the day after the reservoir filled with water, algae began to bloom in it. …
Letters from an American · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. PolitiFact reports that Trump said on May 7 the project would cost about $1.8 million and take one week, and that the NYT reported the cost rose to $13.1 million.[1]
Supports. Senator Blumenthal's May 14 letter, a primary source, states the cost rose from the $1.8 million Trump promised to $13.1 million as of May 8.[3]
Supports. The Hill, citing Friday filings and an NYT report, says the projected cost reached $13.1 million, an increase of $11.3 million from Trump's original $1.8 million estimate.[4]
Context. The Hill and Snopes place the $13.1 million figure in early-to-mid May 2026, and Snopes notes the posts presented the correct numbers, though it declined to rate the comparison because the work was unfinished.[2][4]
Context. Later reporting cites higher totals (a $14.7 million no-bid contract and about $16.4 million in awarded contracts), which postdate the claim's May 8 snapshot and do not contradict it.[5]
Sources
5 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 1 tier 1, 1 not rated
- 1Fact-checking Trump on Reflecting Pool renovationspolitifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2How the cost of Trump's reflecting pool renovation compares to Obama'ssnopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 3Blumenthal Probes No-Bid Contract Awarded to Trump's ...blumenthal.senate.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4Donald Trump work cost on Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ...thehill.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports, context
- 5What does 'complete' mean for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool?rmb.reuters.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post