'The winner is': Trump reacts to Supreme Court ruling on his White House ballroom

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision allowing his White House ballroom project to continue by declaring that the legal fight had produced a clear winner.

The 5-4 ruling kept an appeals court order halting construction on hold while the case moves forward, without deciding whether the project is legal.

Trump made his victory declaration Wednesday, September 2, on Truth Social, two days after the Supreme Court issued its unsigned order allowing construction to proceed.

Trump calls America the winner

“We have hundreds of happy construction workers in DC busily doing their job building the finest Ballroom/Military complex anywhere in the World,” Trump wrote on Wednesday.

He described the project as the result of a prolonged legal battle and declared, “the winner is, as always under ‘TRUMP’, the USA.”

Trump also characterized the ballroom as a “400 Million Dollar gift to America,” reiterating his claim that private donors will pay for the project.

The Supreme Court’s majority said the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which challenged the construction, appeared unlikely to have legal standing to pursue the case. 

The justices also cited national security concerns in allowing construction to continue.

The majority did not rule on whether Trump has the legal authority to make major changes to the White House without congressional approval.

Chief Justice calls project likely unlawful

Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s liberal justices in dissenting from the ruling and directly challenged the majority’s handling of the case.

“The White House is an iconic American building whose symbolism and history are wrapped up in its architecture,” Roberts wrote.

He said it was critical to “ensure that those responsible follow the rules in deciding what to tear down and what to build up at the People’s House.”

Roberts also wrote that the ballroom project is “likely unlawful,” while objecting to the majority’s treatment of the National Trust’s standing argument.

The majority said the Trust was unlikely to establish standing based solely on the “offense, disagreement, or distaste” of one member, historian Alison Hoagland.

Roberts argued that distinction did not hold up against prior cases involving environmental challenges based largely or entirely on aesthetic concerns.

Trump administration welcomes the ruling

Attorney General Todd Blanche also celebrated the Supreme Court decision, connecting the project to national security.

“This is a no-brainer for national security, and future administrations will look back and be thankful,” Blanche wrote on X.

Trump had initially presented the ballroom as a way to provide the White House with a larger permanent venue for ceremonial events such as state dinners. 

More recently, he has increasingly described the redesigned East Wing facilities as a national security imperative.

Trump ordered the East Wing demolished last October and later sought approval from review panels to construct the ballroom on the site. 

Congress has not appropriated funds for the project or signed off on it.

The National Trust’s president and CEO, Brent Leggs, said the group was disappointed by the ruling but praised Roberts’ dissent.

“We are pleased with Chief Justice Roberts’ strong dissent,” Leggs said, adding that it “reiterated what we have maintained from the start of our case — that construction of the White House ballroom is unlawful.”