White House Ballroom Project: A US federal appeals court has dealt a major legal blow to President Donald Trump. The court has immediately halted his ambitious $400 million (approximately Rs. 3,500 crores) ballroom project. A three-judge panel delivered the significant ruling by a two-to-one majority.
In its stark ruling, the court clarified that every president is only a temporary tenant of the White House, not its owner. Therefore, the executive branch cannot make such a drastic, arbitrary change to the historic White House structure without the proper and constitutional approval of Congress.
Damage to historical monuments without Parliament’s approval
The major controversy began when the Trump administration, without congressional approval, demolished the historic “East Wing” and began construction of a massive 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) ballroom. The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a court petition against this.
The court upheld the initial stay obtained by the Trust. Several senators and members of Congress also strongly criticized Trump’s arbitrary decision, arguing that it is the responsibility of every government to preserve national heritage sites and maintain their historic significance.
Citing security reasons, Trump retorted
Donald Trump, on the other hand, called the court decision appalling and completely politically motivated. He wrote on “Truth Social” that the ballroom project included several important security features, including bomb shelters, medical facilities, drone and missile defense systems, which are essential.
Trump claimed that all of these features included in the ballroom plan were interconnected into a single, enormously large, expensive, and complex entity. He said that halting this crucial work put himself and other White House officials at risk of external attacks.
Preparations to move the Supreme Court and a 14-day stay
The appeals court has stayed the ruling for fourteen days to give the Trump administration time to file an appeal with the US Supreme Court. Trump stated in his post that he will appeal this unjust decision to the nation’s highest court.
The panel’s majority stated in its written decision that the decision on whether a grand ballroom should be built was entirely for Parliament, or Congress. No executive branch could independently make such a arbitrarily significant and historic decision.