Since President Donald Trump announced his plan to replace the East Wing of the White House with an enormous ballroom last July, critics have raised several architectural objections. Among other things, they have complained about the asymmetry of the design, which would result in a lopsided White House dominated by the new structure; obstruction of the symbolic line of sight between the Capitol and the president's residence; and the original design of the outsized portico, which featured a staircase to nowhere and 24 view-blocking columns. Last week, a federal judge added a legal wrinkle to these aesthetic concerns, saying the project cannot proceed without congressional authorization.
That decision, which the Justice Department asked a federal appeals court to block in an emergency motion filed late on Friday, reflects Trump's tendency to do whatever he wants, regardless of what the law says. "The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families," U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon writes in the 35-page opinion explaining his decision to issue the preliminary injunction that the National Trust for Historic Preservation sought in a lawsuit it filed last December. "He is not, however, the owner!"
