'I can't imagine it': Trump confident Supreme Court won't halt White House ballroom

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said he “can’t imagine” the Supreme Court rejecting his administration’s emergency bid to keep the White House ballroom construction moving.

The administration is fighting a lower court ruling that said Congress must authorize the project before construction can continue.

Trump made the remark on Wednesday, August 19, at the White House, two days before work is scheduled to stop unless the Supreme Court intervenes.

Trump says a halt is hard to imagine

“We hope that doesn’t happen. I can’t imagine it happening,” Trump told reporters when asked what he would do if the Supreme Court rejected the administration’s emergency filing.

His confidence comes as the administration seeks to overturn the lower court ruling while saying the ballroom project is already about two-thirds complete.

Trump also attacked the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which filed the lawsuit challenging the project, and Alison K Hoagland, who argued in a December court filing that the ballroom would cause “permanent and irreparable harm” to the White House.

Hoagland said the project would “diminish the primacy of the White House” and claimed she would “suffer both professional and personal injuries, including to my aesthetic, cultural, and historical interests” if the ballroom were built.

Trump rejected those arguments and questioned whether Hoagland had legal standing to bring the case.

“The lawsuit, the person had no standing,” Trump said. 

He described her as someone who “didn’t like the view” even though construction had not begun, adding that she had never seen a rendering of the project.

Trump also said, “We’ve gotten tremendous architectural reviews, it’s beautiful.”

Todd Blanche rejects call for congressional approval

Attorney General Todd Blanche has similarly rejected the idea that Trump needs Congress to authorize the ballroom.

A recent 2-1 decision from the DC Circuit ordered the project halted for the moment, saying construction could not proceed during the district court litigation without congressional authorization.

Fox News anchor Shannon Bream asked Blanche why the administration would not simply go to Congress.

“We don’t believe we have to go to Congress,” Blanche said. “We believe Congress has already given us the authority to do what we’re doing.”

Blanche said the administration has a “fundamental disagreement” with the two judges who ruled against Trump and argued that the president already has the necessary authority.

Administration says project also serves security

Blanche also argued that the ballroom is about more than hosting dinners for world leaders.

“Yes, it is a ballroom, but it’s also a meaningful upgrade and necessary part of the security of this city and the president and his family,” Blanche said.

He added that the project would help ensure that “the president, his family, guests, world leaders, are safe when they’re in this city.”

Blanche said Trump “has the authority to do this” and that the administration hopes the Supreme Court agrees so construction can continue and the ballroom can be finished “as soon as possible.”