Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has issued a temporary stay allowing the White House to continue construction on President Donald Trump's $400 million ballroom project while the court considers an emergency appeal from the Trump administration. According to reports from Associated Press and BBC, Roberts signed the order on Friday, with the stay remaining in place pending further action from the court. The ruling came as lower courts had ordered a halt to the project, finding that it must have congressional approval, with that ruling set to take effect on Friday. The temporary order will remain in place until the court issues a more durable decision, though the one-page document does not detail his reasoning or indicate when another ruling will be handed down. The Trump administration has scored a series of victories on the high court's emergency docket, though the justices have ruled against some of the president's signature policies after fuller review.
The Trump administration has argued that the president has total authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings as he sees fit and that the ballroom project must be completed due to national security concerns. As reported by Associated Press, Solicitor General D. John Sauer called the decision halting the work 'extraordinary and unlawful' and said the completion of the project was 'vitally required by national security'. When Trump first announced the plans for a new ballroom, he did not emphasize national security concerns, instead saying the project would be funded by private donations, including from himself. The administration's position comes as Trump exercises unparalleled assertions of presidential power and seeks to mold the capital in his own image. The case comes before the nation's highest court as Trump, a Republican, exercises unparalleled assertions of presidential power and increasingly seeks to mold the capital in his own image.
According to court documents reported by Associated Press, the Trump administration says 65 percent of work has already been completed on the planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom, where the East Wing stood before the president ordered its demolition. Construction on the ballroom has been under way for 10 months with the administration saying the project is now approximately 65% complete. Crews are working 20 hours a day, seven days a week on the project, where about $200 million in private donations has been spent or committed, according to court documents filed by the Justice Department. The new ballroom structure is expected to measure roughly 8,400 square metres (90,000 square feet), dwarfing the White House's main building. When Trump first announced the plans, he said the project would be funded by private donations, including from himself, though critics have pointed out that the administration has sought taxpayer funds as well. Trump's ambitions to construct a White House ballroom predate even his first term in office, as he reportedly approached the Obama administration about such construction as far back as 2010.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation argues that Trump has no unilateral authority to undertake the work, which has included demolishing the East Wing. As reported by Associated Press and BBC, lawyers for the preservation group accused the White House of trying to 'outrun the courts' by accelerating construction. A divided federal appeals court panel ruled earlier this month that construction must stop because Congress hasn't approved the project, with that order to halt construction set to go into effect Friday. However, the Supreme Court has options - it can allow construction to continue while the case plays out, or leave the lower court ruling in place, meaning ballroom construction would have to stop during the litigation. A district court judge ordered a stop to aboveground construction in April, with Judge Richard Leon emphasising that the president is 'not the owner' of the White House and that such dramatic change should require congressional approval. Two appeals-court judges appointed by Democratic presidents found the project was for Congress to decide and 'not a matter for Executive self-help', while a third judge appointed by Trump said the preservationist group had no legal standing to sue. A spokesperson for the trust told BBC on Friday that the order from Roberts is not a final decision and the group is awaiting further action from the court.
Below the ballroom, work is under way to create a multi-storey bunker that would house a hospital and military facilities, as reported by Associated Press. The underground military bunker would be a five-story complex that will include shelters, a hospital and other features designed to protect the president and senior officials during an emergency. The order from U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington allows belowground work on bunkers and military installations to continue. Leon was nominated by President George W. Bush, a Republican. The appeals court ruling had been paused for 14 days to allow the Trump administration to petition the Supreme Court, with that two-week window coming to a close on Friday. The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the latest developments. Administration officials say the ballroom itself will be reinforced with missile-resistant columns and a drone-proof roof, allowing the structure to serve as a shield for both the underground military complex and the wider White House. The bunker complex is designed to protect against drones, ballistic missiles, biohazards and other threats essential to protecting the president, his family, and staff.
President Trump posted on social media expressing gratitude for the Supreme Court's decision, stating the new complex is 'vital for National Security'. As reported by BBC, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the ballroom 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 president has long argued that the White House needs a larger events space and more recently emphasized security concerns. Government lawyers have argued the additional security complex and features included in the ballroom project are needed to protect the White House complex from various threats. Trump doubled down on the need for the space after an assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in April. The ballroom project, along with the helipad being constructed on the South Lawn, are part of the president's wider effort to transform Washington's cityscape, which have also included the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and a planned 'Arc de Trump' larger than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
