Topline
A judge has shot down an attempt by a historic preservation nonprofit to halt the construction of President Donald Trump’s massive White House ballroom project, but the group says it plans to keep fighting.
U.S. President Donald Trump holding a photos of his proposed White House ballroom.
The Washington Post via Getty Images
Key Facts
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon on Thursday denied the request for a preliminary injunction brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has called Trump’s plan “unlawful” and says it violates historic preservation and environmental laws.
The ruling means the project can go ahead for now, but the National Trust says it plans to revise its complaint and re-file the challenge soon.
Trump reacted to the ruling with a post on Truth Social, in which he called the judge’s decision “great news,” adding the project is “ahead of schedule and under budget.”
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is tasked by Congress with protecting and preserving historic sites and argued in its complaint the project needed express authorization of Congress, which Trump did not seek.
Trump’s administration argued the ballroom is necessary to host large events and did not need the approval of Congress because it is being funded by private donors.
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Key Background
Leon cited procedural issues in shooting down the Trust’s request for an injunction, not because of the complaint’s merits. He said the Trust wrongly cited the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs how federal agencies propose and issue regulations, in its filing, but the White House executive residence isn’t subject to that law. The National Trust has said it will amend and refile its complaint as soon as possible. Trump in his Truth Social post said the court had “completely erased” the lawsuit, but Leon said the court will “expeditiously consider” the Trust’s new complaint.
Surprising Fact
The Trump administration has argued the ballroom project can’t be delayed, as a matter of national security. Because the East Wing of the White House has already been demolished to make room for the project, the administration said more work, like building the ballroom, is needed to meet the “safety and security requirements” of the Secret Service.
Tangent
Trump last July announced he would build a 90,000-square-foot addition to the White House to serve as an event space capable of seating 650 people. The addition is significantly larger than the 55,000-square-foot White House structure as it stood at the time of the announcement. Trump had the East Wing torn down in October as part of the $400 million project, which is being paid for entirely by private donors like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft. The project has faced criticism because of its scale, the swift demolition of the East Wing, its lack of oversight and perceived executive overreach by Trump.