Judge says Trump can’t build ballroom under blanket security claim
A federal judge has drawn a firm line around the Trump administration’s proposed $400 million White House ballroom, warning that construction cannot move forward above ground unless it is narrowly tied to national security.
In an order issued Thursday, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon clarified that his earlier injunction halts all visible construction activity on the project, with only limited exceptions. Those carveouts apply strictly to work deemed essential for safeguarding national security facilities or protecting personnel at the White House.
Leon stressed that the exemption is tightly constrained, not a broad authorization to keep building the 90,000-square-foot venue. “National security is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity,” Leon said Thursday, according to a FoxNews report.
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The judge criticized the Justice Department’s reading of his earlier ruling, calling its reliance on a “safety and security” exception overly aggressive. Government lawyers had argued that the entire ballroom project falls under that umbrella, a position Leon dismissed as “incredible, if not disingenuous.”
The dispute traces back to March, when Leon, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, first blocked the project. At the time, he found the administration had not demonstrated clear legal authority to undertake such a major expansion without approval from Congress, particularly one that would replace parts of the East Wing with a privately funded structure.
The administration quickly appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, arguing the project is vital to the safety of “the president, his family, and White House staff.” Officials have maintained that the president has broad authority over White House construction, pointing to past expansions such as the East and West Wings that proceeded without direct congressional involvement.
The ballroom plan was unveiled by Trump in July, initially pegged at about $200 million before later estimates doubled. He has said the effort would be funded “100% by me and some friends of mine.”
Opponents, including the National Trust, insist the proposal must comply with federal preservation laws and undergo proper review before any work can proceed.
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The legal fight took another turn last week when a divided three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit granted the administration a temporary stay, allowing some construction activity to continue or giving officials the option to seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court. However, the panel also sent the case back to Leon, asking him to spell out more precisely what types of work are prohibited and whether halting the project would jeopardize national security.
Responding to that directive, Leon’s updated order draws a distinction between visible construction and subsurface work. He reiterated that underground projects tied to security needs, including bunkers or other protected facilities, may continue. The administration may also take necessary steps to secure the site and ensure the safety of the president and White House staff.
What it cannot do, Leon emphasized, is treat the entire ballroom project as a national security measure. He said the government’s latest claims “are in direct conflict with [their] prior representations.”
“In my view, these arguments fail to justify Defendants’ extraordinary, if not disingenuous, reading of my preliminary injunction,” he added.
