Work on Trump WH ballroom can continue, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rules
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WASHINGTON — The dance goes on for President Trump’s White House ballroom.
Work on the massive structure can continue for now, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts ruled Friday, hours before a court order to stop construction would have taken effect.
“The Military/Ballroom Complex being built on the hallowed grounds of the White House, which is so vital for National Security, will be THE GREATEST OF ITS KIND!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in response to the ruling.
“It is something that Presidents have wanted for 150 years, and that the Military has been seeking for the last 100 years. Their wish will soon be fulfilled!”
The reprieve allows the $400 million building job to continue as the high court mulls the administration’s emergency plea for intervention.
Trump last week asked the Supreme Court to suspend a decision by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals that would have halted the project at 11:59 p.m. ET Friday.
Roberts’ ruling doesn’t address the legality of the ballroom plan, which two lower courts have said is unlawful due to a lack of congressional approval. He also doesn’t give his rationale for allowing the work to proceed in the one-sentence order.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer, arguing for the administration, told the Supreme Court in his plea for relief that the renovations are “absolutely required and should not be enjoined” because any delay threatens President Trump’s safety after recent assassination plots against him.
He also pointed out the ballroom is already “65% complete” and “moving quickly toward total completion,” which would render the court fight moot.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed suit earlier this year to stop the work, arguing the president doesn’t have the power to unilaterally order the construction of such a large project. The administration has argued that the non-profit organization doesn’t have standing to challenge the ballroom.
Sauer’s brief revealed previously unknown details about the ballroom and its construction, including that a 250-person crew is working 20-hour days, seven days per week, to rush its completion.
The concrete-and-steel superstructure extends five stories deep and 70 feet high, and occupies nearly 90,000 square feet.
“The Project includes bomb shelters, state-of-the-art hospital and medical facilities, protective partitioning between all areas of the building, top secret military structures and equipment, military-grade venting, a single integrated air conditioning and heating system, sniper nests, and a drone port,” the filing revealed.
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The materials used in its construction “are meant to stop bombs, rockets, missiles, and even nuclear blasts.”
Trump has argued his ballroom is necessary both to host large-scale events and provide an extra layer of security for the executive mansion. In recent weeks, he has begun referring to the project as a “ballroom and military complex.”
“It started off as a ballroom, and before we started work, the military came to see me and they say, ‘Sir, we have an opportunity to do something incredible here, and we’ve been trying to do it for 100 years, but we’ve never had an opportunity like that,’” the president told reporters earlier this week while giving reporters a tour of a South Lawn helipad, another one of his White House additions.
“So I had to make that decision, and I said, ‘Look, go ahead, design what you want.’ And that goes down five stories. You know, it goes down almost 65 feet. What’s in that? Well, I’m not allowed to discuss that, but a lot of very detailed stuff. That’s why bringing the lawsuit was very unfortunate, because most people didn’t know that. Now they do know that.”