President Donald Trump is threatening to sue ABC News over its coverage of his administration’s struggles to renovate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
“In describing the Vandalism that took place at the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., ABC FAKE NEWS, one of the worst in the business, even paying me $16,000,000 for past bad and inaccurate reporting, failed to report that their close ‘friends,’ Dumocrats Obama and Biden, spent over 100 Million Dollars on the Reflecting Pool, and it never worked,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday. “In fact, it was rarely open due to leaks and stench.’ They wanted to spend 300 to 400 Million Dollars, but just let it ROT.”
“I spent approximately 16 Million Dollars, and it came out great, except for the Vandalism, which we are now fixing,” the president added. “It was also a much bigger job than originally envisioned, including the outer areas and sidewalks. We are preparing lawsuits against ABC for false reporting. I like their money, which will be given to the U.S. Treasury!”
The Independent has contacted ABC News for comment.
The Biden administration did not do major work on the pool at all, and the Obama administration spent about $35 million for renovation work that lasted two years.
In and outside the White House, Trump has sued or threatened numerous news outlets, a practice critics allege stifles press freedom.
The latest Reflecting Pool renovation project, which President Trump announced in April, has been plagued with issues.
In addition to taking longer and costing more than Trump originally suggested, algae has continued to bloom in the pool, and its recently resurfaced bottom has begun to crack and peel.
The president has claimed these issues are the work of vandals who poured chemicals into the monument and cut a 300-foot-long gash through the pool floor.
In a separate Truth Social post on Monday, Trump also claimed the pool had been a target of a “crazy pro-algae (likely paid) protestor,” sharing an image of a demonstrator in a frog costume.
At least five people have been arrested and another give have been cited in connection with alleged vandalism at the pool, NBC News reports.
One of those arrested, former U.S. Olympian David Hearn, denies vandalizing the landmark.
“It’s a completely unfounded accusation,” Hearn told The Daily Mail. “We’ve already heard many lies from this administration…That’s just another lie.”
Hearn, a canoe slalom athlete, told the outlet he touched a “loose flap of coating” out of curiosity, then wound up being arrested and charged with a misdemeanor.
President Trump has said he may need to drain the pool again to continue the renovation process.
In spite of all the issues with the Reflecting Pool project, the president has been more eager to talk about his Washington construction efforts than the Iran war, a recent analysis found.
Between May 1 and June 10, President Trump talked about his favorite construction projects 70 percent more than the war, and on social media, he spoke about the renovations 35 percent more.
Nonetheless, many of the president’s other Washington build-outs have been marred by issues.
Lawsuits have temporarily stopped construction on his White House ballroom project as well as renovations at the Kennedy Center, which was forced to undo the president’s attempt to add his name to the institution.
The Justice Department has argued in a federal appeals court that the ballroom should move forward, citing the need for the renovations after an alleged terror plot aimed at the White House UFC fight was thwarted.
