Interior Secretary Doug Burgum scolded The New York Times for a report on increased costs to renovate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.
In a series of social media posts, he said the paper got it wrong and suffered from Trump Derangement Syndrome or TDS.
Mr. Burgum specifically took issue with a report that the expansion joints used in the repairs are “notoriously leaky.” The joints, which were replaced in 2019, still leak 16 million gallons of water per year, which the National Park Service pays to replace.
He said the paper “has TDS and is ignoring the facts. The final materials for the 2.5 miles worth of expansion joints at the Reflecting Pool passed testing flawlessly last week and this week. Installation is currently underway for one full-scale expansion joint with the installation of the remaining four expansion joints scheduled for tomorrow and Saturday.”
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, center, is …
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The interior secretary noted that the new expansion joints will be made from “industrial-grade, leak-proof materials.” He added that a special caulk will be used to help the expansion joints handle the pressure from the summer and winter.
Mr. Burgum also blamed President Obama for the leaky expansion joints, saying they “catastrophically failed” and cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.
“@POTUS isn’t just making the Reflecting Pool Beautiful Again, he’s fixing the Memorial’s disastrous Obama-era errors that failed at the cost of millions for the American taxpayer,” he wrote.
Nicole Taylor, a spokeswoman for The New York Times, pushed back against Mr. Burgum’s criticism, saying her story was based on a report by the National Park Service that the outlet had obtained.
“Mr. Burgum’s statement confirms our reporting that the Park Service and its selected contractor had struggled to find a solution to the pool’s leakage problems. Our article was based on the National Park Service’s own reports about the project’s progress and cost,” she said in a statement to The Washington Times.
Earlier this week, President Trump criticized the same report about the reflecting pool, saying it was “inaccurate.”
“The Failing New York Times, which is one of the worst newspapers anywhere in the World, and is losing subscribers on an hourly basis, is now at it again,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social.
Last month, the president ordered the repair project for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, with plans to repaint the reflecting pool “American flag blue” and ensure it is leak-proof.
