美联社对特朗普就林肯纪念馆倒影池翻新工程所做的多项陈述进行了事实核查，发现存在显著偏差。[1]
特朗普4月23日声称该项目耗时一周、成本约150万美元。[1]然而四个月后，工程仍在进行中，已颁发的合同金额超过1600万美元，特朗普随后又称费用"少于2000万美元"。[1]在成本对比上，特朗普声称前任政府"花费数亿美元"却告终失败，但事实上奥巴马政府至少投入3400万美元进行维修，拜登政府并未进行重大维修工作。[1]
关于工程质量，特朗普宣称该项目"50年内不会漏水"且"刀割不破"。[1]然而美国司法部于7月31日驳回了对前奥运选手戴维·赫恩的刑事案件指控，司法部在驳回理由中指出"额外文件表明破坏是承包商安装失误和匆忙赶工导致"。[1]美国律师珍妮·皮罗提交的20页备案文件进一步指出，损坏系"承包商失误以及仓促完成与2026年美国250周年庆典相关活动"所致。[1]
The Associated Press has examined several false and misleading statements made by former President Trump regarding the renovation of the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial.[1]
In April, Trump claimed the project would take one week and cost approximately $1.5 million.[1] However, fifteen weeks later, construction remained ongoing with over $16 million in contracts already issued.[1] Trump subsequently stated the costs would remain under $20 million, though costs have since exceeded this figure.[1]
Trump asserted that the Obama and Biden administrations had spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the pool without success.[1] In reality, the Obama administration invested at least $34 million in maintenance, while the Biden administration did not undertake major repairs.[1] Trump also claimed the renovated surface would not leak for fifty years and could not be cut with a knife.[1]
Regarding damage to the pool's surface, Trump attributed responsibility to vandals.[1] However, the U.S. Department of Justice dismissed criminal charges against former Olympic athlete David Hern on July 31, stating that additional documents indicated the damage resulted from contractor installation errors and rushed work.[1] A twenty-page filing attributed the damage to "contractor error and the hasty completion related to the 2026 U.S. 250th anniversary celebration activities."[1]