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Trump’s Blue Reflecting Pool Project Faces Lawsuit as No-Bid Price Hits $13.1 Million

Preservationists say the color change violates federal review rules for historic sites.

Overview

  • The Cultural Landscape Foundation, which filed suit Monday in Washington, asked a judge to halt the repainting and cited the National Historic Preservation Act.
  • Federal records show Interior used an urgent no-bid award to hire Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a firm tied to Trump’s Virginia golf club, then added $6.2 million on Friday to bring the price to $13.1 million.
  • Workers have begun applying an "American flag blue" coating as part of leak repairs and waterproofing meant to finish before the nation’s 250th anniversary.
  • President Trump on Tuesday attacked the New York Times’ report on the price and said the work is a complex overhaul rather than a simple paint job.
  • Preservation groups argue the pool’s dark basin creates the deep mirror of the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, and they warn a blue floor would change how millions experience the site.