Ahead of a key trip to China, President Trump posted repeatedly on Truth Social, attacking Democrats and disputing costs tied to the Reflecting Pool renovation.

Donald Trump kicked off the week with another late-night flare-up on social media, posting dozens of times overnight and into Tuesday morning as he prepared for a critical state visit to China.

In the posts, Trump attacked prominent Democrats including Barack Obama and Joe Biden and pushed false claims about the 2020 election. He also entertained a series of unusual themes, including imagining himself on a $100 bill alongside other bizarre assertions.

But one of the loudest threads in the barrage centered on Washington, D.C.’s Reflecting Pool renovation.. Trump promoted his “pet project” to refinish the pool and shared an image portraying Democrats bathing in a sewage-filled Reflecting Pool. framing the effort as something Democrats allegedly loathe.. The president also devoted attention to a fresh line of criticism. taking aim at coverage tied to the project and arguing against what he called inaccurate reporting.

In a longer message, Trump characterized the work as far more than a simple repainting.. He called it “deeply complicated” and described it as “smart and beautiful construction. ” while asserting that “many patriots” had urged him to fix the Reflecting Pool.. Trump also described the pool as an “embarrassment” to Washington. D.C.. and the country. blaming mismanagement under Obama and Biden.

He further disputed how the contractor was chosen. Trump wrote that he did not hand out the contract and said the Interior Department awarded it to a contractor “I did not know,” despite earlier claims that he selected the company because it had worked on a swimming pool at one of his golf clubs.

The cost and procurement questions have drawn particular scrutiny.. Coverage noted that Trump had claimed the contractor was charging the government $1.8 million to redo the pool and paint its bottom blue.. But later reporting said the Interior Department doubled the size of the contract and planned to pay nearly $14 million.. While competitive bidding is typically required for federal contract work. the project was awarded without a bid. with the administration arguing the work was too urgent to go through a bidding process.

Trump’s own posts continued the back-and-forth over the price tag. On Tuesday, he suggested the project would cost “5 or 6 Million Dollars” and could be completed within two weeks.

The Reflecting Pool controversy is part of a broader narrative clash over how the administration is reshaping the look and feel of Washington. D.C.. Earlier reporting tied to the project also raised questions that go beyond the bill itself.. It pointed to issues the administration was not addressing with the pool’s filtration system. argued that painting the bottom blue would not resolve algae problems. and suggested that Trump’s public stunt driving his motorcade across a drained version of the pool could have posed risks to the concrete.

That reporting also challenged key elements of Trump’s claims about the contractor.. It said the publication could not confirm that Atlantic Industrial Coatings had worked on the swimming pools at Trump’s club. as Trump had said. and noted the company does not advertise that it does swimming pool work.

The president’s intensified focus on aesthetic upgrades has landed amid a turbulent political backdrop.. The renovation push comes as Trump’s approval has reportedly cratered alongside an unpopular war against Iran and a cost-of-living crisis at home. according to the reporting surrounding his recent remarks.

On Monday night. speaking to law enforcement officials in the White House Rose Garden—a space Trump has also renovated—Trump again blended political messaging with remarks about physical changes to the executive mansion.. He described the earlier state of the White House as a “shit house” before he took office and said the property is now “tippy-top now.”

Trump Truth Social Reflecting Pool renovation China state visit Interior Department contracts federal procurement Washington D.C. politics