A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to suspend its construction of a US$400-million ballroom where it demolished the East Wing of the White House.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a preservationist group’s request for a preliminary injunction that temporarily halts U.S. President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project.
Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush, wrote, “I have concluded that the National Trust is likely to succeed on the merits because no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have.”
“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!”
Leon suspended enforcement of his order for 14 days, acknowledging that the case “raises novel and weighty issues, that halting an ongoing construction project “may raise logistical issues.” He also recognized that the administration is likely to appeal his decision. The judge also ruled that any construction work that’s necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House is exempt from the scope of the injunction.
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Trump, in a social media post, criticized the trust for suing him over a project that he said is being built at no cost to taxpayers. “Doesn’t make much sense, does it?” he wrote.
“The National Trust for Historic Preservation sues me for a Ballroom that is under budget, ahead of schedule, being built at no cost to the Taxpayer, and will be the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World,” Trump wrote.
“I then get sued by them over the renovation of the dilapidated and structurally unsound former Kennedy Center, now, The Trump Kennedy Center (A show of Bipartisan Unity, a Republican and Democrat President!), where all I am doing is fixing, cleaning, running, and ‘sprucing up’ a terribly maintained, for many years, Building, but a Building of potentially great importance,” he continued.
Trump referred to the The National Trust for Historic Preservation as “a Radical Left Group of Lunatics whose funding was stopped by Congress in 2005.”
He said the trust “is not suing the Federal Reserve for a Building which has been decimated and destroyed, inside and out, by an incompetent and possibly corrupt Fed Chairman.”
“The once magnificent Building is BILLIONS over budget, may never be completed, and may never open. All of the beautiful walls inside have been ripped down, never to be built again, but the National ‘Trust’ for Historic Preservation never did anything about it! Or, have they sued on Governor Gavin Newscum’s ‘RAILROAD TO NOWHERE’ in California that is BILLIONS over Budget and, probably, will never open or be used,” he continued.
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“So, the White House Ballroom, and The Trump Kennedy Center, which are under budget, ahead of schedule, and will be among the most magnificent Buildings of their kind anywhere in the World, gets sued by a group that was cut off by Government years ago, but all of the many DISASTERS in our Country are left alone to die,” Trump’s post concluded.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to obtain an order pausing the ballroom project until it undergoes multiple independent reviews and receives approval from Congress.
The White House announced the ballroom project over the summer.
By late October, Trump had demolished the East Wing to make way for a ballroom that he said would fit 999 people. The White House said private donations, including from Trump himself, would pay for the planned construction of a 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-metre) ballroom.
Trump proceeded with the project before seeking input from a pair of federal review panels, the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts. Trump has stocked both commissions with allies.
— with files from Global News’ Katie Scott
All I’m going to say is scroll down to Jan K’s comments, she nailed it.
And the TDS sufferers, you’re no better than those crooked Democraps, or our homegrown Libranos. Seek professional help.
They’ll build it , then tear it down. Tuxedo prancing is important when you’re starting wars.
Don’t you have better things to piss and moan about?
Who cares about the Whitehouse ballroom especially when it doesn’t cost the taxpayers a penny?
The amazing queen of Camelot Jackie O didn’t have any scrutiny heaped upon her by foreign news agencies for renovations to the WH under her reign?
Doesn’t Global news have more pressing stories to cover?
Trump isn’t always right when he says something but when he calls out a group or individual a “Radical Leftist Lunatic “,rest assured he hit the bullseye every time.
The comments on this site are always so damn wild lol Absolute lunatics.
Jason, most politicians aren’t prepared to sacrifice for the world, they’re prepared to fill their pockets from taxpayer money, like the Democrats have been doing for the last four years.
If you listen to Trump 30 years to 45 years ago there’s lots of YouTube videos showing that he’s always been consistent about what he wants to do to save & serve America.
You’re not going to find someone like that again.
The fact that is, 99.99% of your politicians are just there for their own benefits, prestige, power, control & money & influence for them and their family and friends and relatives.
The Pelosi crime family is a perfect example of that, what a bunch of crooks, and of course she’s related to Gavin Newscum, another corrupt politician, my opinion.
👶🍼 Lefties are children, they just blocked it because Trump is doing it. It’s costing taxpayers nothing. Ridiculous behaviour 🤡
If it was a Democrat president, they would fully support it. Childish TDS tantrums from the left AGAIN! 🐑😵💫🤡
The fact that the newest No Kings protests was funded with $294 Millon’s donation — almost — three quarters of a billion dollars by Soros $72M, Tides $45M, Buffet $16, Rockefeller $62M, Ford $51M, Arabella $79M.
Imagine if that money had been used to build infrastructure or help the homeless or help veterans. Instead it was wasted paying a bunch of 🐑🐑🐑🐑 idijts to march around with signs. 🤣🤣🤣 America is bizarre…
Plus the ORGANIZERS of the previous anti-Trump protests in New York and other places are paid & funded by the Communist Chinese Party, Muslim Brotherhood & IRGC of Iran.
The fact that American lefties are very close to commiting sedition funded by foreign enemies of America is very concerning.
Those Billionaires (weren’t the left complaining about billionaires? Hypocrisy?) can’t ‘bribe’ Trump with campaign donations, etc. like they do to Democrat politicians & Rinos — so they are creating a pseudo-sedition situation – to try and eliminate him to get a controllable, ‘bribeable’ & ‘steerable’ politician, a PUPPET like Biden was…
Like George Carlin said — “It’s a big club…” ($Wamp?) and Trump isn’t part of it, so they’re using a big club attempting get rid of him…
The left 👹 are pure evil… In my opinion as a 🍁 Canadian whos country has economically, culturally, and morally totally destroyed by the promotion of toxic liberalism & socialism by the Liberal Party of Canada.
Be great when Donald Trump is removed as President by a very fine individual willing to sacrifice everything for the world.
These judges are getting out of hand. The judges need a check in their power.
He is allowed to change the White House. He’s president.
I cannot renovate the apartment I am renting. Why does Trump think he can get away with renovating the building he is temporarily occupying? There is a basic rule of law that he should abide by. Get permission from the owners first!
He should have to pay a penalty for demolishing the east wing without permission. The cost of replacement, sounds fair.
The whole concept of boards is so that 1 individual cannot make decisions. Why is the system set up so he can stock the boards to get his own way? – time to adjust so the system is not abused.