President Donald Trump called U.S. District Judge Richard Leon a “mockery to our Court System” on Thursday and accused him of “illegal overreach” in response to Leon’s latest ruling criticizing Trump for a “disingenuous” attempt to claim the ballroom is needed for national security purposes.
Key Facts
- Trump defended his ballroom project in a Truth Social post, insisting “no future President, living in the White House without this Ballroom, can ever be Safe and Secure at Events, Future Inaugurations, or Global Summits” without it.
- He complained that much of the ballroom “has already been paid for, costing Hundreds of Millions of Dollars.”
- Trump accused Leon of “illegal overreach,” being “out of control” and “costing our Nation greatly.”
- Trump made the comments after Leon, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, determined construction on the underground bunker could continue, but ballroom construction needed to remain paused pursuant to his March ruling determining the project was illegal without approval from Congress.
- Leon called Trump’s attempts to claim the ballroom itself was also a matter of national security “disingenuous,” writing in his order Thursday, “national security is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity.”
What To Watch For
Leon’s order takes effect in seven days to give the Trump administration time to appeal.
Key Background
Leon issued his order Thursday after an appeals court directed him to clarify his March 31 order blocking Trump from building the 90,000-square-foot ballroom without congressional approval. Leon had sided with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which filed the initial lawsuit against the redevelopment. The initial order included a “safety-and-security exception” that allowed construction of the underground bunker to continue. The Trump administration has already demolished the East Wing of the White House to construct the $400 million ballroom, which Trump has said would be paid for with private donations from companies including Amazon, Meta and Apple.
Crucial Quote
“Defendants argue that the entire ballroom construction project, from tip to tail, falls within the safety-and-security exception and therefore may proceed unabated,” Leon wrote Thursday. “It is, to say the least, incredible, if not disingenuous, that Defendants now argue that my Order does not stop ballroom construction because of the safety-and-security exception!”
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