Trump takes his $400 million ballroom project to the Supreme Court to unblock

The U.S. Justice Department asked the Supreme Court on Friday to lift the injunction halting construction of a ballroom in the East Wing of the White House. The project, estimated at $400 million, has been at the center of a legal battle for several months.

The move was expected. After a federal appeals court ordered a halt to construction on August 7 due to the lack of congressional authorization, the Trump administration took the case to the nation's highest court. The Justice Department argues that the construction falls under national security and calls the injunction "extraordinary and unlawful."

"This case concerns an extraordinary and unlawful injunction that will halt construction of the integrated military complex, including a fully secured ballroom space, in the East Wing of the White House, which is absolutely required for national security," the Justice Department wrote in its petition.

The District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals had set August 21 as the deadline to halt construction, while allowing a fourteen-day period for an appeal to the Supreme Court. Its decision upheld an April order issued by District Judge Richard Leon, which specifically addressed surface construction altering the visible appearance of the White House.

"The question of whether a huge ballroom should be built belongs to Congress, and cannot be a matter for the unilateral initiative of the executive branch," the panel of appeals judges ruled in its decision.

The case dates back to last December, when the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit after the Trump administration demolished the East Wing of the White House and began construction on a ballroom spanning some 8,360 square meters. Despite successive court rulings, Donald Trump continued to assert that the work would proceed.

The cost of the project to American taxpayers has also increased significantly, contradicting the president's initial statements that it would be funded solely by private donations. Trump and his allies justify the construction by citing the need to host secure events after several foiled assassination attempts.

Reacting to the appeals court's decision, Trump called for its complete reversal by the Supreme Court. He specified that the ballroom would incorporate bomb shelters, medical facilities, and protections against drones and missiles, all forming, in his view, "a single, expensive, and highly complex unit." The project is part of a broader set of transformations for the nation's capital, which notably includes the construction of a monumental triumphal arch.