Kathrine Frich
He pointed out the room will likely be ready just months before his term ends.
When leaders remodel a historic home, the plans usually spark debate.
Add hundreds of millions of dollars and a bulldozer to the mix, and that polite disagreement turns into a legal war.
A costly parting gift
President Donald Trump has aggressively defended the construction zone at the White House. The goal is to finish a 90,000-square-foot ballroom right where the East Wing once stood.
Speaking from the Oval Office, he framed the project as a generous gesture. He pointed out the room will likely be ready just months before his term ends.
“This is for future presidents. This isn’t for me. This is for future presidents. And it’s a gift. We’re making a gift to our country, spending hundreds of millions of dollars to build a ballroom,” he said according to The Irish Star.
He also lashed out at the critics trying to stop the work.
Calling out the critics
Trump did not hold back his frustration with the opposition.
“The people that are opposing the ballroom are people that, in my opinion, are very disloyal to our country. Very, very disloyal to our country,” the president claimed.
He promised the new space would feature top-tier military defenses against drones and missiles. He then insisted nothing could break through the windows.
Taking it to court
Those promises might not matter if the courts have their way. Last week, a divided federal appeals panel ordered the administration to halt all aboveground building.
Judges noted that Congress never approved the renovation. They sided with a historic preservation group that sued to protect the original grounds.
The administration quickly asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in. Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed documents arguing the delay directly harms national security.
A hidden threat
The legal filing even revealed a startling new detail to prove the point. According to court documents, the Secret Service quietly moved Trump to a different military plane last month.
A reported missile threat against Air Force One in Turkey forced the sudden change in travel. Officials point to that incident as proof a secure bunker is urgently needed.
Government lawyers insist the president has full authority to upgrade his residence. They also claim private donations are footing the entire bill, though Democrats strongly suspect otherwise.
Workers have spent 10 months on the site. Officials say the project is 65% complete.
Sources: Irish star,US Court Filings, AFP
