Construction on President Donald Trump’s $400 million ballroom is expected to continue after a federal judge said he was leaning toward denying a preservationist group’s request to temporarily halt work on the controversial project.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded group, last week asked the U.S. District Court to block Trump’s gold-plated ballroom project until it went through multiple independent reviews and won approval from Congress.
The president has already bypassed the federal government’s usual building practices and historical reviews with the East Wing demolition.
“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,” the lawsuit stated.
But at a hearing Tuesday, Judge Richard J. Leon said that the organization had failed to show that “irreparable harm” would be caused if the project moved forward and gave the White House two weeks to submit the plans to the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts.
Trump hailed the judge Tuesday evening during a White House Hanukkah event and thanked Leon for having the “courage in making the proper decision.”
The president also upped the price tag of the project to an estimated $400 million from $300 million, though he added that he “should do it for less.”
“We got sued. We're donating a $400 million ballroom, and we got sued not to build it,” Trump said of the lawsuit. “We're donating a building that's approximately $400 million. I think I'll do it for less, but it's 400…I should do it for less. I will do it for less, but just in case, I say 400 otherwise, if I go $3 over, the press will say it costs more.”
Carol Quillen, President and CEO of the National Trust, said it remained “fully committed to upholding the interests of the American people and advocating for compliance with the law, including review by the National Capital Planning Commission and an opportunity for the public to provide comment and shape the project.”
Adam Gustafson, the principal deputy assistant attorney general, argued at the hearing that the Trust has no standing in the case to sue and that underground construction must continue for national security reasons that were not outlined in open court.
But the judge warned the administration to not make decisions on underground work, such as the routing of plumbing and gas lines, that would dictate the scope of future ballroom construction above ground. If that were to happen, Leon warned, “the court will address it, I assure you of that.”
Tad Heuer, the attorney representing the Trust, said that with every day that construction is allowed to proceed absent the independent reviews, the government gets to say “wait and find out” what the ballroom will look like.
“It's not about the need for a ballroom. It's about the need to follow the law,” Heuer said.
Demolition of the historic East Wing of the White House began in October to make way for the 90,000 square-foot ballroom.
Trump said the project will be funded by private donors. Contributors include tech giants Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, crypto companies Coinbase and Ripple, the Winklevoss twins and the family of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, according to a list provided by the White House.
Democrats have introduced legislation to put guardrails on the plans.
In November, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and California Rep. Robert Garcia introduced the Stop Ballroom Bribery Act, which would require increased transparency around contributions, such as banning donations from individuals with conflicts of interest. The legislation would also prohibit the president and vice president from donating.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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