Trump’s blue repainting of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool draws lawsuit and questions about cost

By Devan Cole, CNN

(CNN) — A nonprofit dedicated to “promoting informed stewardship” of historic landscapes asked a federal judge on Monday to halt the Trump administration’s painting of the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool, which has long featured a gray basin, blue.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, DC, by The Cultural Landscape Foundation argues the project violates federal laws requiring the Interior Department to complete a consultation process that includes notifying the public of the plans and getting input from other federal agencies before beginning the work.

The group also says the project runs afoul of a federal law requiring the department to issue an assessment of how the paint job would impact the environment.

The lawsuit is the latest challenge to Trump’s effort to remake a slew of cultural and historic institutions and sites in the nation’s capital. Other groups have asked federal courts to stop the president from moving ahead with work on a massive new ballroom at the White House, construction of an arch similar to Paris’ Arc de Triomphe and the painting of a federal office building adjacent to the White House.

The paint project has been a priority for the president, who last week drove across the drained Reflecting Pool to survey the landmark, which he praised for its new “American flag blue” coating.

“It’s much more beautiful than it was new because it never had the color people wanted, but now it’s going to have the great color. So it’s going to be good,” Trump said last week.

The president said at the time that the renovation will cost $1.8 million but federal records show a price tag more than seven times that number. Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia company, has been awarded a no-bid contract totaling $13.1 million for the project. The Interior Department attributed the cost to the quick timeline needed to complete the renovation in time for the country’s 250th birthday celebrations.

The New York Times first reported the higher price tag.

Trump defended the project on Tuesday, criticizing previous administrations in a Truth Social post while saying his effort would cost less money and take less time to carry out.

“It won’t leak, it will shine, and be the pride of Washington D.C. for decades to come,” Trump said.

“Defendants’ failure to follow the law before inserting a permanent blemish on the National Mall is causing serious and irreparable harm to the Plaintiffs and the public generally,” lawyers for the Cultural Landscape Foundation wrote in court papers. “Without immediate judicial intervention, defendants will deface an iconic American landmark, in open violation of Congressionally mandated procedures.”

The foundation’s president and CEO, Charles A. Birnbaum, who is also a plaintiff in the case, said in a statement that the Reflecting Pool’s design “is fundamental to the solemn and hallowed visual and spatial connection between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.”

“A blue-tinted basin is more appropriate to a resort or theme park,” he said.

The case was assigned to Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee who has previously presided over challenges to the president’s efforts to remake the federal workforce.

Nichols has asked both sides to tell him by Tuesday evening whether he should hold a hearing over the foundation’s request for an emergency court order halting work on the Reflecting Pool.

Asked about the new lawsuit, an Interior Department spokesperson said in a statement that the new blue color “will enhance the visitor experience by making the pool reflect the grand Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument.”

Interior also touted other changes being made at the site to help with the maintenance of the pool’s water quality.

“The Department is proud of the work being carried out by our Park Service to ensure this magical spot can be enjoyed for not only our 250th, but for many generations to come,” the spokesperson said.

This story and headline have been updated with additional details.

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CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed to this report.