"President Is a Tenant," Appeals Court Rules White House Ballroom Construction Illegal; Trump Furious, Plans to Appeal to Supreme Court

On August 7 local time, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed frustration over a court ruling halting the construction of a White House ballroom and announced his intention to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld, in a 2-1 decision, a federal district court ruling from April that granted a preliminary injunction requested by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP), a nonprofit organization.

However, the court stayed the effect of the ruling for 14 days to allow the Trump administration to appeal.

The court stated, "Whether to build a large-scale ballroom is a matter for Congress to decide, not something for the executive branch to handle arbitrarily," adding, "Congress has not handed the executive branch unlimited authority to radically redesign, remodel, and rebuild the White House, the 'People's House,' to suit the wishes of any particular president."

Judges Patricia Millett and Bradley Garcia stated, "Every president is a temporary tenant of the White House and the presidential residence, not an owner."

However, they added that underground construction and work related to national security may continue.

Later, President Trump posted on Truth Social, saying, "Two appeals court judges appointed by Obama and Biden have issued a decision opposing the construction of a military center desperately needed for Washington, D.C. and our nation's national security."

He added, "This is a clear abuse of discretion. First of all, the NTHP has no standing to halt White House construction, so the district court had no jurisdiction," and "The balance of equities strongly favors the government."

He then stated, "This decision is stayed and will not take effect for the time being. We will immediately appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court."

In October of last year, President Trump began construction on an 8,000-square-meter ballroom capable of accommodating about 1,000 people by demolishing the White House East Wing.

However, criticism persisted over the process and procedures, as demolition began without congressional approval and the project was funded by donations from companies holding massive government contracts, such as Amazon, Google, and Palantir.

In response, the NTHP filed a lawsuit in December of last year against President Trump and the National Park Service, arguing that neither the president nor any federal agency has the authority to demolish historic buildings or build large new facilities without congressional approval. In April, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the NTHP.

Subsequently, a shooting incident targeting President Trump occurred during the White House Correspondents' Dinner held at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., highlighting the need for a ballroom inside the White House.

President Trump once again emphasized the necessity of the ballroom for national security.

He claimed, "This project includes a fallout shelter, state-of-the-art hospital and medical facilities, protective barrier structures, top-secret military facilities, structures and equipment, protective steel, columns, roofs, and beams capable of withstanding missile attacks, ceilings and roofs defending against drone attacks, military ventilation systems, and glass resistant to bullets, ballistic missiles, and explosions," adding, "It is connected as one massive, expensive, and highly complex system, and is essential to U.S. national security and military operations."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.