President Donald Trump threatened new legal action against ABC News, accusing the network of misleading reporting about the cost of repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool while ignoring what he says were far costlier failures under former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
In a Truth Social post on Monday night, Trump blasted ABC as "one of the worst in the business" and said the network omitted key context when reporting on the rising cost of a project to repair damage at the iconic Washington, D.C., landmark.
"ABC FAKE NEWS, one of the worst in the business, even paying me $16,000,000 for past bad and inaccurate reporting, failed to report that their close 'friends,' Dumocrats Obama and Biden, spent over 100 Million Dollars on the Reflecting Pool, and it never worked," Trump wrote. "We are preparing lawsuits against ABC for false reporting."
Trump also referenced ABC's 2024 settlement of a defamation lawsuit he filed against the network. The company agreed to pay $15 million toward Trump's future presidential library and $1 million in legal fees.
The president argued that his administration spent approximately $16 million to restore the Reflecting Pool and surrounding sidewalks, calling it a larger project than initially anticipated.
"I spent approximately 16 Million Dollars, and it came out great, except for the Vandalism, which we are now fixing," Trump wrote.
According to CNBC, ABC recently reported that costs associated with repairing the Reflecting Pool had climbed to more than $14.65 million, exceeding the original estimate by over $4 million.
The network also reported that an additional $1.74 million contract was awarded to install a system designed to combat algae growth, bringing total project costs above $16 million.
Trump has maintained that recent damage to the Reflecting Pool was caused by vandalism.
He told reporters that a "350-foot slit" had been cut into the structure, and media reports indicate several individuals have been arrested in connection with the incident.
CNBC noted that public records show the Obama administration spent roughly $35 million on previous repairs to the Reflecting Pool.
The outlet reported that it found no evidence of major restoration work undertaken during the Biden administration comparable to the figures cited by Trump.
The latest dispute comes as ABC faces increased scrutiny from federal regulators.
The Federal Communications Commission, now led by Trump appointee Brendan Carr, has opened investigations involving the network and requested early renewal applications for several local broadcast licenses.
Trump's threat signals that his long-running battle with major media organizations remains a central theme of his presidency as he continues to challenge what he views as unfair or incomplete coverage by legacy news outlets.