Donald Trump told reporters that he personally paid for the gleaming new granite walkway outside the Oval Office, but leaked federal budget records show the bill of more than £530,000 ($689,232) landed squarely on the taxpayer.
The documents, obtained by The Atlantic's Michael Scherer, trace the money for the West Colonnade project to the National Park Service rather than the president's own pocket. They surface at a moment when the same agency is shedding staff, cancelling hundreds of repairs, and watching its funds flow towards Washington vanity work.
