Politics & Government

Back in March, President Donald Trump claimed that an expensive renovation to a White House pathway was paid for by himself personally, but on Friday, The Atlantic’s Michael Scherer revealed that the bill was actually footed by taxpayers.

The pathway in question connects the Oval Office to the White House’s central complex, a commute that takes all of 45 seconds to make, according to Scherer. Originally paved with Tennessee flagstone, a flat sedimentary rock, Trump instead wanted the pathway to be redone using “polished African granite, carved in Italy.”

CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe asked Trump in March who would be fitting the bill for the pathway renovation.

“Uh, paid for by… me,” Trump said, according to O’Keefe.

Scherer learned, however, that the renovation project actually cost taxpayers $689,232, and was taken from money earmarked for the National Park Service. Scherer also discovered another $347,503 that had been directed away from the National Park Service to pay for a “rush project at request of [Trump]” to help “affix gold frames and plaques mocking some of his predecessors.”

“This previously undisclosed spending is part of an enormous shift of taxpayer cash away from national parks around the country and into the Washington area,” according to The Atlantic report. “In order to pay for the president’s projects, the parks have had to cancel needed repairs, slash their budgets, and operate with fewer employees.”

Iran’s ambassador to Mexico praised the country’s national soccer team after its elimination from the FIFA World Cup, while also highlighting the controversial video review decisions that influenced the outcome of the tournament.

In a lengthy statement to POLITICO, Ambassador Abolfazl Pasandideh argued that Iran battled not only its opponents but also “fatigue, injustice, and hardships that rarely appeared before the cameras,” later criticizing what he called “pseudo-VAR” interventions.

“Perhaps some balls fell just centimeters short of bringing joy to millions of Iranians — centimeters that were not even measured by the linesman’s flag, yet were magnified by ‘pseudo-VAR’ interventions,” Pasandideh wrote. “However, nothing could ever diminish the magnitude of your determination.“

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

He cast the team’s World Cup run in overtly patriotic terms, comparing the players to legendary Persian heroes including Arash and Rostam and arguing that “true championship lies in loyalty to the flag.”

Addressing the players as the “brave sons of Iran,” Pasandideh said they had demonstrated a willingness to give “the last drop of life for Iran” and predicted the national team would return “stronger, more experienced, and more brilliant” in future international competitions.