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WASHINGTON — President Trump took a victory lap Thursday after a federal judge allowed his administration to carry on with construction of his prized $400 million White House ballroom.
US District Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, found that construction on the epic project was not a violation of a federal law, as alleged by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
“Great news for America, and our wonderful White House! The Judge on the case of what will be the most beautiful Ballroom anywhere in the World, has just thrown out, and completely erased, the effort to stop its construction,” Trump later cheered on Truth Social.
Leon, however, suggested that the National Trust could rework its lawsuit and try again under a different legal framework.
“The Ballroom construction, which is anticipated to also handle future Inaugurations and large State Visits, is ahead of schedule, and under budget. It will stand long into the future as a symbol to the Greatness of America!” Trump continued.
Trump’s planned 90,000 square foot ballroom is poised to eclipse the size of the White House and is being built over where the East Wing once stood.
The ritzy venue is intended to be “impenetrable” with “drone-proof ceilings” and bullet-proof glass, according to Trump. Beneath it, the administration is speculated to be renovating the White House nuclear bunker.
Late last year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which Congress has entrusted with preserving historic buildings, sued to stop construction of the ballroom on the grounds that Trump didn’t comply with federal guidelines.
Specifically, the preservation group argued that the Trump administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires federal agencies to follow certain guidelines and inform the public about certain actions.
But ultimately, Leon argued that a violation wouldn’t apply because the White House Office of the Executive Residence, which is overseeing the ballroom project, isn’t a federal agency.
“Unfortunately for Plaintiff, its challenge fails because the White House office in question is not an ‘agency’ under the APA,” Leon wrote in his opinion.
The jurist said the National Trust failed to prove that the president acted beyond his authority.
Trump has collected private donations to fund the ballroom project.
Just last week, DC’s Commission on Fine Arts, whose members Trump selected himself after booting the old panel, unanimously voted to approve his ritzy ballroom project.
The president still needs to get the go-ahead from the National Capital Planning Commission, headed by White House staff secretary William Scharf, which is set to meet on March 5.
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