White House blasts Washington Post's claim Reflecting Pool 'looks almost the same' after Trump renovations

The Washington Post faced backlash, including from the Trump administration, after suggesting that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool "looks almost the same" following President Donald Trump's renovations.

"After Trump's $10 million renovation, the Reflecting Pool is full again — and looks almost the same," The Washington Post wrote alongside an image comparison of the Reflecting Pool in 2022 and 2026 on X Tuesday.

The paper also shared an article from last week on the renovations in an X post that read, "The Reflecting Pool on the National Mall has been refilled following President Trump’s renovations. The project ultimately took six weeks and cost more than $10 million, far more than Trump initially projected."

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Critics have accused the Trump administration of desecrating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool through renovations. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

The social media post quickly went viral as several social media commentators remarked that images The Washington Post shared already showed differences made by Trump's renovations.

The backlash also extended to Trump's team, which called out the paper for allegedly misleading readers.

"The water was green. Now it's not. Hope this helps," the Trump War Room account posted along with an older image of the Reflecting Pool.

"This successful renovation not only made the Reflecting Pool more beautiful, but it was completed at a fraction of the time and cost of Obama's botched project — AND it finally addressed the leaks that caused millions of gallons of water loss per year. But the Fake News @washingtonpost won't acknowledge that," the White House Rapid Response 47 account wrote.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's communications director, Cody Sargent, commented, "Why is the @washingtonpost so committed to this stupid lie? Here’s an actual before and after from @EarthCam."

Sargent also posted two images of the Reflecting Pool from March 2026 and June 2026.

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The Trump administration and social media commentators have pushed back on critics and praised the new work on the Reflecting Pool. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)

Several other commentators and political figures called out the Post for its claim as well.

"Why put this spin on it when it’s obvious that it looks much better? Not exactly helping in the media credibility department," Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., commented.

Podcast host Katie Miller remarked, "The original cost estimate was $300 million way more than the $10 million it cost. President Trump saved the taxpayers $290 million."

"It works. It doesn’t leak. It doesn’t smell like wet dog hair. It doesn’t have algae swirling in it. Go pound sand," Media Research Center President David Bozell commented.

Fox News Digital reached out to The Washington Post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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President Donald Trump first announced efforts to renovate the Reflecting Pool in March. (Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump announced intentions to fix what he called the "absolutely filthy" Reflecting Pool in March with the intention of having it repaired by the time of July 4 celebrations.

Critics have voiced concerns over the pool resurfacing with "industrial-grade" material in the color "American flag blue," with a nonprofit called the Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) going so far as to file a lawsuit against the National Park Service (NPS) to halt the project.

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Trump confirmed last week during a White House event that renovations were complete.

Fox News' Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.