Topline
The Trump management made its last arguments to the Supreme Court connected Wednesday earlier it decides whether to let building to move guardant connected the White House ballroom, claiming President Donald Trump’s pet task is basal for nationalist information and discounting claims by the different broadside that it will ruin people’s enjoyment of the White House.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters extracurricular the White House connected Aug. 19.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All authorities reserved.
Key Facts
The Trump management has asked the Supreme Court to overrule little courts and let it to support building the White House ballroom, filing a response Wednesday to arguments made by the National Trust for Historic Preservation opposing the construction.
The National Trust has sued the Trump administration, arguing the White House doesn’t person authority to build the ballroom without legislature authorization—which little courts person agreed with—and claiming the ballroom’s building hurts defendants who admit the White House arsenic a humanities landmark, alleging it harms the building and the “aesthetic, cultural, and humanities interests” of those who bask it.
The DOJ based on Wednesday it would harm nationalist information to halt building now, fixed information features that are being installed successful the building, and took rumor pinch the statement astir the ballroom harming White House spectators—claiming that statement could lead to a “see something, writer something” civilization successful which group tin situation thing connected authorities spot they disagree with.
Even if the ballroom does consequence successful “visual displeasure,” the DOJ argues artistic complaints astir the ballroom aren’t logic to artifact the project, claiming those opinions are “subjective worth judgments that ray compared to the Project’s much actual nationalist benefits” for illustration “receiv[ing] guests and overseas dignitaries successful a safe building befitting the country’s dignity.”
Now that some sides person submitted filings successful the case, the Supreme Court could norm astatine immoderate clip connected whether building tin proceed while litigation complete the ballroom moves forward.
An appeals tribunal ruling ordering the authorities to extremity building will return effect Friday if the Supreme Court hasn’t weighed successful by then, aliases if it agrees pinch the little courts that building should stop.
Crucial Quote
Stopping building connected the ballroom “would time off an unstable, unfinished 70-foot-tall building connected White House grounds, putting the analyzable astatine consequence and thwarting Secret Service protection,” the DOJ based on Wednesday. The authorities has antecedently said building is astir 65% complete connected the ballroom, and claimed Wednesday that halting building could origin the unfinished building to “degrade and perchance illness successful precocious winds.”
Chief Critic
The National Trust has argued the Trump management is trying to “outrun judicial review” by racing to build the ballroom while litigation moves forward, arguing the Supreme Court should artifact building now because it whitethorn beryllium excessively precocious to do truthful successful the future. The Trump management “make[s] nary concealed of the truth that if the Court permits building to continue, they will state the lawsuit over,” the Trust based on successful its filing to the Supreme Court, adding that if the tribunal allows construction, “the injuries to the National Trust, its members, and the nationalist from the unauthorized building of the ballroom … will successful each likelihood go irreversible.”
News Peg
The DOJ’s filing to the Supreme Court came arsenic Trump hyped up the ballroom task to reporters connected Wednesday, noting it’s being built retired of “very beardown stone” and teams are laying high-quality apical ungraded connected the tract that will mean, “If you’re grass, you’re very happy.” The president besides emphasized the information features of the planned ballroom complex, saying it will person “so overmuch a subject component, pinch the drones and explosive shelters and everything other we person successful there.”
Tangent
In its filing Wednesday, the DOJ besides backtracked connected controversial claims it made earlier an appeals tribunal successful June, erstwhile its lawyer Yaakov Roth suggested the Trump management could tear down the Statue of Liberty without being challenged successful court. As Roth based on that the National Trust doesn’t person opinionated to writer now that building had already begun, Judge Patricia Millett posed the hypothetical mobility of what would hap “if the authorities decides very quickly and bulldozes the Statue of Liberty,” asking if that intends group whose ancestors immigrated to the U.S. and saw the landmark upon their presence would not beryllium capable to sue. Roth suggested they would not person opinionated to sue, agreeing pinch the judge erstwhile she said the authorities believed “nothing tin beryllium done” erstwhile building starts. The DOJ claimed the statement astir the Statue of Liberty was a “strawman type of the government’s position” successful its filing Wednesday, and now alleged “plenty of Americans” could writer the authorities successful that instance, specified arsenic group who run vessel tours to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
Key Background
Trump’s planned White House ballroom has been 1 of the astir visible and arguable projects of his 2nd term, pinch his administration’s demolition of the East Wing drafting wide criticism. The president has agelong claimed the task would costs $200 cardinal and beryllium paid for solely done backstage donations—later revising that number to $400 million—but The Washington Post reports the value tag is now much than $600 million, pinch taxpayers expected to ft astatine slightest half of that bill. Judge Richard Leon ruled successful March that the ballroom building was apt unlawful, but his bid halting its building has been connected clasp while the higher appeals tribunal considered the case, truthful building connected the ballroom has ne'er stopped. A sheet of appeals tribunal judges past ruled 2-1 connected Aug. 7 to uphold Leon’s ruling and halt construction, penning the White House cannot proceed building while the litigation continues “without securing Congress’s authorization, arsenic the Constitution and laws require.”
Further Reading
Trump Asks Supreme Court To Allow White House Ballroom Construction (Forbes)
Trump Says He’ll Appeal ‘Horrendous’ Ruling Against White House Ballroom To Supreme Court (Forbes)
Trump’s DOJ Argues They Could Tear Down The Statue Of Liberty Without Legal Repercussions (Forbes)
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