President Donald Trump announced that he is launching a comprehensive investigation into California’s long-troubled High-Speed Rail project, calling it “the worst managed project I’ve ever seen.”
“One of the things I want to investigate rapidly—because I’ve never seen anything to this extent—is the train that’s being built between Los Angeles and San Francisco,” Trump said.
“It is the worst-managed project I think I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen some of the worst. Billions and billions—hundreds of billions—of dollars over budget.”
“In fact, I read that you could take every single person who was going to go on the train, provide the finest limousine service in the world to take them back and forth, and you’d still have hundreds of billions of dollars left over,” he continued.
His remarks underscore what many conservatives have argued for years—that the project is an enormous waste of taxpayer money.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) attempted to defend the project’s progress in a post on X, highlighting the completion of 50 major structures, 60 miles of guideway, and the creation of 14,600 jobs. However, these claims do little to ease concerns over the project’s skyrocketing costs and endless delays.
Originally approved by voters with the promise of connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco for $33 billion, the rail system was supposed to be completed four years ago.
“It is the worst thing, and we’re going to start an investigation of that because it’s not possible. I built for a living, and I built on time and on budget. It’s impossible that something could cost that much,” Trump continued.
Instead, costs have exploded to an estimated $128–$130 billion, with no clear end in sight, according to ABC30. Trump’s investigation could bring long-overdue accountability to a project that has drained public funds while delivering little in return.
