Trump admin files emergency appeal to resume ballroom construction, cites ‘open and exposed’ risks

WASHINGTON, DC: The Trump administration has filed an emergency appeal to resume construction of his $400 million ballroom, arguing that the structure’s completion is vital for national security.

The legal filing claims that the current unfinished state of the grounds leaves the White House “open and exposed” to significant threats.

Trump emergency appeal over $400M ballroom construction

The 27-page motion, filed on Friday night, April 3, in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, called the construction halt by District Judge Richard Leon a “shocking, unprecedented, and improper injunction” that endangers Trump, his family, and his staff.

Justice Department lawyers explained that the ballroom and its subsequent basement bunker are essential tools to defend the President against “hostile attacks via drones, ballistic missiles, bullets, biohazards” and other potential dangers.

Because of these risks, the attorneys emphasized that “Time is of the essence!” to complete the work.

Unfinished White House site poses security risk, lawyers say

Lawyers argued that stopping construction by the April 14 deadline would create a physical vulnerability at the residence.

The motion states that a work stoppage would leave “a massive excavation and structurally completed site adjacent to the now open and exposed Executive Mansion and threatening grave national-security harms to the White House, the president and his family, and the president’s staff.”

The filing reveals that the project is far more than a social space, noting that “the bomb shelters, hospital and medical area, protective partitioning, and Top Secret Military installations, structures, and equipment, are built and/or ready to be built, installed, and placed.”

The administration maintains that leaving these military-grade installations unfinished is a risk the country cannot afford to take.

NTHP delay claim fuels Trump admin legal appeal

The administration also argued that the National Trust for Historic Preservation should have raised concerns sooner.

The attorneys noted there was “full knowledge, through large scale media attention and publicity, that the White House ballroom was planned to be built.”

They claimed the injunction “could have been sought long ago, prior to the start of construction” and that “there would have been a great deal of time for them to object, long before the start of construction, even though their objection would likewise have been baseless and frivolous.”

This appeal follows Judge Leon’s ruling that the project, funded by Trump's own money and private donations, requires Congressional approval.

Earlier, Trump responded on ‘Truth Social’ by calling the National Trust a “Radical Left Group of Lunatics.”