Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 8
Trump awards no-bid contract to paint Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 8

Trump awards no-bid contract to paint Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue

11 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 8
  • The contract, now valued at $6.9 million in Washington, was awarded under an emergency exemption to a contractor Trump said had worked on his swimming pools.
  • Officials cited the July 4, 2026 deadline for the US 250th anniversary, while the White House said the project was being completed at “Trump speed”.
  • The latest report says the move bypassed normal competition and review processes, expanding on earlier accounts that had put the renovation cost near $2 million.
How was a $38 million 'disaster' repair of the Reflecting Pool fixed for only $1.8 million, and will this new solution last?
Will a new 250-foot Triumphal Arch become a national icon or disrupt the capital's historic landscape?