Fact-checking Trump on National Mall's Reflecting Pool renovations

By — Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact By — Amy Sherman, PolitiFact Amy Sherman, PolitiFact Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/fact-checking-trump-on-national-malls-reflecting-pool-renovations Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Fact-checking Trump on National Mall's Reflecting Pool renovations Nation May 30, 2026 4:21 PM EDT This article originally appeared on PolitiFact WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has long leaned into his background as a real estate developer. Almost a year and a half into his second term, he has been focused increasingly on efforts that will leave a lasting physical imprint on the nation's capital. He's torn down the White House's East Wing in an effort to build 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 asked for designs to renovate public golf courses within the city. In recent weeks, Trump has also 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 project as projected costs soar The Reflecting Pool renovation has garnered the most attention for Trump's intention to paint the bottom "American Flag Blue." "I love construction, it's very exciting," he said in a May 27 Cabinet meeting , noting his love of building swimming pools. He called the renovation "a really important thing" and said he might launch a renovation of the nearby World War II Memorial fountain. Critics have assailed the Reflecting Pool changes, saying it would turn one of the nation's hallowed monuments 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 stop the project. The plaintiffs, an organization of landscape architects, said proceeding with the renovation would create a "permanent blemish on the National Mall." The case is pending . Since launching the project, Trump has exaggerated the pool's size, the renovation timeline and costs, and changed his tune on the central contractor. Here are fact-checks of a few recent Trump statements about the project. 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 meeting This is exaggerated both ways. The rectangular pool is 2,028 feet long , which would rank it fourth in the world if it were a skyscraper, according to the Skyscraper Center 's list of tallest buildings. First is Burj Khalifa in Dubai at 2,717 feet, followed by Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur at 2,227 feet, and Shanghai Tower in Shanghai at