Recommendations of the Editorial team
A federal judge has blocked Donald Trump from attending the former East Wing grounds of the White House – which the president had demolished last year – to build a new state ballroom.
Judge Richard Leon, an appointee of Ronald Reagan, ruled that construction “must stop!” until Congress “blesses this project by legislative authorization.”
“The President may at any time approach Congress for express authority to construct a ballroom and to do so with private funds,” Leon wrote. “Congress may even appropriate funding for the ballroom or at least decide that a different funding model is acceptable.” He emphasized that Congress “will thereby retain its authority over the nation’s property and its oversight of government spending.”
Trump’s ballroom obsession
Since returning to office last year, Trump has been raving about his plans for a new White House ballroom. Current events have not distracted him – he continued to promote it even after he launched a war against Iran last month.
Trump even brandished posters depicting the ballroom aboard Air Force One as he spoke to reporters on Sunday. “They will be Corinthian, which is considered the best, by far the most beautiful,” he said of the ballroom’s columns—while holding up his visual aids.
The president also claimed Sunday that the military was building a “huge complex” beneath the ballroom. “I’m so busy I don’t have time for this,” he said. “I fight wars and do other things,” Trump told reporters. “But this is very important because it will be with us for a long time and I think it will be the greatest ballroom in the world.”
400 million and no supervision
The ballroom is expected to cost $400 million. Trump and his administration claim it is funded by private donations — not taxpayer dollars — raising a number of ethical questions.
Trump has dabbled in various construction projects since returning to office – from the ballroom to renovating the Kennedy Center, building a triumphal arch in Washington DC and redesigning various of the city’s monuments. Shortly before Judge Leon announced his ruling on Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum were “working to clean up the absolutely filthy Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.” Trump blamed “Sleepy Joe” Biden for the condition of the iconic pool. Most of these projects were carried out without the usual architectural reviews and parliamentary scrutiny that are standard practice for major renovations of public buildings.
Shortly after the verdict, Trump complained about attempts to stop his construction projects. “The National Trust for Historic Preservation is suing me over a ballroom that is under budget, ahead of schedule, won’t cost taxpayers a dime and will be the finest building of its kind in the world,” he wrote – and then praised his planned renovation of the Kennedy Center before once again lashing out at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which had also sued Trump’s Kennedy Center plans. “Does that make much sense?” concluded the president.
