Trump files emergency appeal to keep building White House ballroom
The Trump administration has appealed a federal judge’s order to halt the construction of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, arguing in an emergency motion that pausing the $400 million project would raise national security risks.
The motion, which was filed Friday night in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, argues that U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s “shocking, unprecedented, and improper injunction” to stop construction would imperil Trump, his family and White House staff. The administration asked for Leon’s order to be stayed pending appeal and said it would seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court if necessary.
“Time is of the essence!” Justice Department lawyers wrote, saying that the planned 90,000-square-foot addition to the White House is being designed to defend against “hostile attacks via drones, ballistic missiles, bullets, biohazards” and other potential threats to the president. They also argued that Trump has the authority to build the ballroom, disputing Leon’s ruling that the project requires congressional approval.
The tone of the administration’s 27-page filing — particularly its first five pages — departs from the usual style for federal appellate briefs, which typically focus on legal arguments. Instead, the language closely resembles Trump‘s charged remarks and social media posts about the ballroom, which the president has identified as a personal priority. The appeal invokes the “American Patriots” who have made donations for the project, lists various materials being used to construct it and repeats Trump’s frequent boasts that the project is under budget and ahead of schedule.
“No taxpayer dollars are being used for the funding of this beautiful, desperately needed, and completely secure (for national security purposes) ballroom,” the Justice Department lawyers wrote, defending Trump’s decision to solicit private donations. Leon said that Trump was attempting an “end-run” around Congress by relying on private funding.
The White House said Saturday it was “confident” that it would win the case on appeal.
“The DOJ’s brief filed last night in the DC Circuit highlights the extraordinary errors and the unprecedented overreach represented by the lower court’s injunction,” spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement.
The three-judge panel set to hear the appeal is Patricia Ann Millett, an Obama appointee; Bradley Garcia, a Biden appointee; and Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, charged by Congress with helping to preserve historic buildings, sued to block the project in December. The nonprofit has argued that Trump was wrong to tear down the White House’s East Wing last year and begin building his ballroom without going through necessary federal reviews and obtaining authorization from Congress.
Trump has repeatedly derided the organization, and his administration has continued to pursue plans to build the ballroom. The National Capital Planning Commission, a federal agency that reviews major construction projects in Washington and is led by Trump allies, on Thursday voted to approve the now-stalled project.
Leon, an appointee of President George W. Bush, on Tuesday sided with the National Trust and ruled that the project must be authorized by Congress to continue. He also dismissed the Trump administration’s claim that halting the project would create national security risks.
“Please! While I take seriously the Government’s concerns regarding the safety and security of the White House grounds and the President himself, the existence of a ‘large hole’ beside the White House is, of course, a problem of the President’s own making,” Leon wrote. Still, he stayed his order for two weeks and ruled crews could continue construction necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House.
Trump and the National Trust are arguing over what the judge’s ruling permits.
Hours after Leon issued his decision, Trump shrugged off the order to halt construction while taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office. The president said the two-week grace period Leon provided to wind down construction was unnecessary because the judge also gave an indefinite exception for “actions strictly necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House and its grounds, including the ballroom construction site, and provide for the personal safety of the President and his staff.”
Trump said the proposed building’s security features met that standard, ticking them off for reporters: bulletproof glass, a “drone-proof” roof, bomb shelters, hardened telecommunications, a secure HVAC system and “very major medical facilities.”
“We have all of these things, so that’s called ‘I’m allowed to continue building,’” he said.
The National Trust disagrees. On Wednesday, the group filed a motion asking Leon to spell out that his exception does not allow Trump to continue building the ballroom structure simply because it has security features. The judge has not yet ruled on that motion.
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• Diamond and Edwards have been covering the White House’s ballroom project. They are reachable securely on Signal at dan_diamond. 01 and jle. 11.