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President Donald Trump on Sunday criticized legal efforts to stop construction of a massive ballroom on the White House grounds.
“There is no practical or reasonable way to return,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “IT’S TOO LATE!”
Last month, the National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to block construction of the ballroom after Trump last year demolished the east wing without warning to make way for the new building, which will dwarf the main residence.
via News
Trump responded:
“So-called ‘preservationists’, who get their money from the most unusual places, should not be allowed to stop this desperately needed addition to our GREAT White House, a place that a president has never needed permission to change or improve, because of the special grounds it sits on, no matter how big (and important!) that improvement may be.”
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon last week questioned the administration’s legal authority over the project and was skeptical as he considers a possible injunction. The judge said he would rule next month.
Trump has said the ballroom’s up to $400 million cost will be funded by private donations, raising ethical and other questions that the White House has yet to answer.
But on Sunday he defended the planned facility as “a great, huge, beautiful gift to the United States of America” and complained that the east wing had been “bastarded” by previous renovations.
via News
Trump also said the lawsuit has led to “top secret” information about the project surfacing.
He wrote:
“Furthermore, in this case, it is being done with the design, consent and approval of the highest levels of the United States Military and Secret Service. The mere filing of this ridiculous lawsuit, unfortunately, has already exposed this heretofore top-secret fact. Stopping construction, at this late date, when so much has already been ordered and done, would be devastating to the White House, our country and everyone involved.”
While not more specific, the east wing was known to house the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, also known as the “underground bunker,” which Trump reportedly used during protests in 2020, and the new project is likely to replace and/or upgrade the facility.
Trump has been obsessed with the project, which he frequently mentions without being asked. Earlier this month, he even interrupted a White House meeting with oil industry executives to stand up, go to a window and look out at the construction site.
On Sunday, Trump launched into Truth Social on a number of topics, including complaints about the NFL, Canada and journalist Don Lemon. He also wrote some messages about the ongoing unrest in Minneapolis, which has only become more tense after federal agents shot and killed 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti.
But it was her message about the ballroom that put her at the top of her feed.
See the full message below:
donald trump
donald trump