A U.S. Court Has Halted Construction Of Trump's Ballroom

The president was reminded that “the White House is not his personal property.”

On August 7, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld a lower court’s ruling prohibiting the continuation of on-site construction work on the $400 million White House ballroom. The decision was made by a 2-1 vote and upholds the preliminary injunction previously issued by District Judge Richard Leon, according to Reuters.

The lawsuit was filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation after the administration demolished the historic East Wing and began construction of a hall with an area of approximately 8,360 square meters without congressional approval.

The judges emphasized that the decision on whether to build a large-scale ballroom should be made by Congress, not unilaterally by the executive branch. The majority of the panel also noted that there are no precedents in American history where a president, acting on his own and using private funds, would have demolished a significant portion of the White House that was built with congressional approval and taxpayer money.

Justices Patricia Millett and Bradley Garcia, who formed the majority, recalled that the head of state is a temporary occupant of the residence, not its owner. Justice Neomi Rao, appointed by Donald Trump, issued a dissenting opinion: She found that the plaintiff had no standing to file such a lawsuit and pointed to security risks posed by the unfinished construction.

At the June 5 hearing, Justice Department attorney Yaakov Roth insisted that the courts have no authority to evaluate a privately funded project, and that the demolished wing allegedly made the residence vulnerable. The court rejected these arguments.

The ruling has been suspended for 14 days—enough time for the administration to appeal to the Supreme Court. Trump has already stated on social media that he will immediately file such an appeal, calling the verdict “monstrous” and “politically motivated,” and describing the construction as a matter of national security.

Construction below ground level, including safety-related work, will continue—the ban applies only to the above-ground portion of the project.

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com