In spring 2026, a rumor spread online that U.S. President Donald Trump "is spending $5 million in taxpayer money" to cover horse statues in Washington, D.C., in gold.
The claim circulated on Facebook, Reddit and Threads alongside criticism of the president for slashing food assistance and other
The rumor originated from a May 28 report by NOTUS, a reputable online news outlet founded by billionaire Politico co-creator Robert L. Allbritton (who plans to relaunch NOTUS as "The Star" in June 2026). Per the report, the National Park Service, ahead of America's 250th anniversary on July 4, aimed to restore four bronze horses in Washington, known, in pairs, as the Arts of War and the Arts of Peace.
"So in mid-April, the National Park Service handed a $5 million contract to a gilding studio in Maryland to repair the statues and cover them with a thick layer of 23.75-karat gold leaf," the report reads.
Snopes verified NOTUS' reporting via publicly available government documents and with help from Anna Kramer, the journalist behind the story. However, the filings do not explicitly state what percentage of the contract's funds cover the cost of gold leaf and its application, as opposed to spending on repairs and conservation.
Given the high price of gold, it is likely that a substantial chunk of the funds will be spent on gold leaf and its application.
As such, we have rated this claim as mostly true, with a few undetermined details.
In lieu of answering specific questions about the contract's details, the Department of the Interior — which oversees the NPS — sent an emailed statement about the president "fulfilling his commitment to make D.C. Safe and Beautiful."
"Across the District, residents and visitors are excited to see the city revitalized to the grand destination it was meant to be," the statement read. "The Arts of Wars statues are currently being regilded ahead of our nation's 250. This is the first time in 50 years these statues have been regilded."
According to the NPS, the Arts of Peace statues are 80,000 pounds in total and stand 19 feet high, 16 feet long and 8 feet wide. Presumably, the Arts of Wars statues are a similar size, although their dimensions are not listed on the agency's website.
A look into government filings
The NOTUS story includes a hyperlink to the contract summary for the horses' conservation and regilding on the official website for the federal government's spending data (archived).
Per the contract summary, the NPS awarded $4,995,263 on April 21, 2026, to a company called The Gilder's Studio to "procure the services necessary to complete the work required, including the full conservation and regilding of four (4) monumental equestrian bronze sculptures."
The "Federal Account Funding" section shows that the money is coming from the DOI's "Working Capital Fund, Department Management" — essentially the agency's bank account for administration and support services.
An additional search for keywords related to the contract on SAM.gov, the government's award management website, returned a "notice of intent" to award the contract with a detailed description (archived) of the work planned on the horses (emphasis ours):
Work includes:
- Conservation cleaning and stabilization of historic bronze
- Repair of casting defects, corrosion, and failed prior treatments
- Application of corrosion-inhibiting primer system
- Application of 30-gram, 23.75 karat gold leaf, including size, sealers and burnishing.
- Cleaning and repair of granite plinths
- Installation of scaffolding, containment, and environmental controls
- Execution of phased mock-ups for all treatment steps
- Completion within a fixed period ending July 1, 2026
For reference, the purest form of gold available commercially is 24-karat gold.
Kramer also shared a document via email that is available on the SAM.gov website for those who sign into an account. The filing from the Interior Department states on Page 2 that, in accordance with Trump's executive order announcing a "grand celebration" for America's 250th birthday, the NPS "must have this work completed by July 4, 2026."
How did Trump admin determine $5M price point?
"Due to the urgent nature of this requirement, market research was limited to available historical data and publicizing a special notice to SAM.gov," the agency wrote. That "special notice" announced the government's intent to award the contract to The Gilding Studio while inviting its competitors to demonstrate interest and ability to fulfil the contract instead. However, the notice was only accepting applicants from April 1 to April 6.
"There are no comparable gilding projects of this monumental size, national significance, public visibility, or technical complexity in the Washington, DC area," the Interior document Kramer shared said, adding that The Gilder's Studio completed the most comparable gilding project in the area in 2022.
NOTUS also reported that the Interior Department is spending at least $95 million in taxpayer funds for new D.C. beautification projects, many of which have ended up costing more than originally planned. Snopes has not independently verified this number.