A Democrat-dominated federal appeals court ordered Donald Trump's administration on Friday to stop construction on a $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House's demolished East Wing, despite evidence that without it the President and others in the White House are vulnerable to attack.
National Trust President Brent Leggs said in a statement that the ruling marked "a great day for our country and for the American people's right to voice their opinions about the historic places they cherish, including the White House."
Justice Department attorney Yaakov Roth said during D.C. Circuit arguments on June 5 that the courts have no role in weighing the privately funded project. He said the National Trust’s "architectural preference" should not take precedence over national security concerns, Reuters reported.
The order upheld a preliminary injunction won by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued last year after the administration tore down the East Wing and began building a 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) ballroom without seeking authorization from Congress.
"Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help," the panel's majority held.
In a post to his Truth Social account President Trump wrote:
Two Obama and Biden Appellate Court Judges just voted against the desperately needed Military Center, required for the National Security of Washington, D.C., and our Country, itself. Highly Respected Judge, Neomi Rao, stated the following key points, among others, in a strongly worded dissent:
“This was a blatant abuse of discretion…To begin with, the district court had no jurisdiction because the Trust has no standing to stop construction at the White House…[T]he balance of equities overwhelmingly favors the government. The district court elevated the aesthetic displeasure of a single passerby over the government’s security interests in the ballroom and the security risks of leaving an open construction site at the President’s home and office…These errors in equitable judgment require vacating the injunction…The district court seized supervision of construction at the White House, and my colleagues affirm this judicial overreach…Because the injunction is beyond the proper province of the federal courts, construction should be allowed to continue.”
The decision has been stayed, and does not take effect for a period of time. We will be immediately appealing to the United States Supreme Court. The Military and Secret Service are viewing this horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful ruling as a National Security threat to our Nation in that the entire Complex is being built for the protection of our Country and, additionally, all future Presidents. The single, integrated project includes Bomb Shelters, State of the Art Hospital and Medical Facilities, Protective Partitioning, Top Secret Military Facilities, Structures and Equipment, Protective Missile Resistant Steel, Columns, Roofs, and Beams, Drone Proof Ceilings and Roofs, Military Grade Venting, and Bullet, Ballistic, and Blast Proof Glass. It is all tied together as one big, expensive, and very complex unit, which is vital for National Security and Military Operations of the United States of America! The Circuit Court’s decision, which is totally wrong on the vital subject of STANDING, of which the plaintiff has none, severely jeopardizes the lives and welfare of the people who work, and will be working, at the White House — including all future Presidents of the United States, and their families, as well as the lives of all those visiting, such as Heads of State and other Dignitaries, and all Americans who wish to visit the historic, beautiful Executive Mansion. The Circuit Court also refused to acknowledge that the desperately needed, and totally secure Ballroom, which is being built ahead of schedule and under budget, is a Gift from President Trump and Great Patriots of the United States of America. The entire Complex, Military and all, is largely built, fabricated, and paid for. Much is already on site, or being delivered. Why didn’t they bring this case long prior to construction starting? There will be no expense to the American Taxpayer. This unjust decision must be overturned by the Supreme Court in its entirety. Thank you for your attention to this deeply important National Security matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
The appeals court placed its ruling on hold for 14 days to allow the Trump administration to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In his initial response to the decision earlier on Friday, President Trump wrote: "The Circuit Court's decision, which is totally wrong on the vital subject of STANDING, of which the plaintiff has none, severely jeopardizes the lives and welfare of the people who work, and will be working, at the White House — including all future Presidents of the United States, and their families, as well as the lives of all those visiting, such as Heads of State and other Dignitaries, and all Americans who wish to visit the historic, beautiful Executive Mansion."
He also accused the court of refusing to acknowledge that the ballroom, which he said is being built ahead of schedule and under budget, "is a Gift from President Trump and Great Patriots of the United States of America."
The President asserted the ruling "is a National Security Threat at the highest level" because much of the project has already been completed and paid for, further calling the decision a "National Disgrace."
