Trump Threatens to Sue ABC Over Reporting That a No-Bid Reflecting Pool Contract Reached $14.65 Million

On June 22, 2026, President Trump said he was preparing lawsuits against ABC News over its reporting on repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. 'We are preparing lawsuits against ABC for false reporting,' he wrote on Truth Social. 'I like their money, which will be given to the U.S. Treasury.' He claimed without evidence that Presidents Obama and Biden had spent more than $100 million on the pool; prior PBS reporting put Obama-era spending at roughly $35 million. ABC had reported the previous week that repainting costs reached more than $14.65 million, exceeding the original estimate on a no-bid contract by more than $4 million according to federal contract data, plus a $1.74 million no-bid contract for an algae system. Trump also said vandals cut a '350-foot slit' in the pool; the White House has not produced evidence of intentional damage.

The threat lands on a network already under pressure: ABC paid $16 million to settle a 2024 defamation suit Trump filed, faces two FCC investigations, and was directed to file early renewal applications for eight local broadcast licenses not otherwise due until at least 2028.

No suit had been filed as of the reporting.