Trump Melts Down Over Court Blocking His 'Utterly Lawless' White House Ballroom

President Donald Trump lashed out Friday with a rambling Truth Social post after a federal appeals court ordered construction stopped on his planned White House ballroom, claiming the decision was politically motivated and dangerous to the country.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit voted 2-1 to uphold a lower court order from April that requires the project to stop until Congress gives its authorization. The judges described the administration’s approach as “utterly lawless,” while Trump’s own 2018 appointee, Judge Neomi Rao, dissented and called the initial district court decision a “blatant abuse of discretion.”

In a nearly 500-word statement, Trump praised the project as far more than a ballroom, describing it as a “desperately needed Military Center” essential for the national security of Washington, D.C. and the United States.

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According to Trump, the complex would include bomb shelters, a state-of-the-art hospital and medical facilities, protective partitioning, top-secret military structures, missile-resistant steel columns and beams, drone-proof ceilings and roofs, military-grade venting, and bullet, ballistic, and blast-proof glass.

From Trump’s Truth Social post:

Two Obama and Biden Appellate Court Judges just voted against the desperately needed Military Center, required for the National Security of Washington, D.C., and our Country, itself. Highly Respected Judge, Neomi Rao, stated the following key points, among others, in a strongly worded dissent:

“This was a blatant abuse of discretion…To begin with, the district court had no jurisdiction because the Trust has no standing to stop construction at the White House…[T]he balance of equities overwhelmingly favors the government. The district court elevated the aesthetic displeasure of a single passerby over the government’s security interests in the ballroom and the security risks of leaving an open construction site at the President’s home and office…These errors in equitable judgment require vacating the injunction…The district court seized supervision of construction at the White House, and my colleagues affirm this judicial overreach…Because the injunction is beyond the proper province of the federal courts, construction should be allowed to continue.”

The decision has been stayed, and does not take effect for a period of time. We will be immediately appealing to the United States Supreme Court. The Military and Secret Service are viewing this horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful ruling as a National Security threat to our Nation in that the entire Complex is being built for the protection of our Country and, additionally, all future Presidents. The single, integrated project includes Bomb Shelters, State of the Art Hospital and Medical Facilities, Protective Partitioning, Top Secret Military Facilities, Structures and Equipment, Protective Missile Resistant Steel, Columns, Roofs, and Beams, Drone Proof Ceilings and Roofs, Military Grade Venting, and Bullet, Ballistic, and Blast Proof Glass. It is all tied together as one big, expensive, and very complex unit, which is vital for National Security and Military Operations of the United States of America! The Circuit Court’s decision, which is totally wrong on the vital subject of STANDING, of which the plaintiff has none, severely jeopardizes the lives and welfare of the people who work, and will be working, at the White House — including all future Presidents of the United States, and their families, as well as the lives of all those visiting, such as Heads of State and other Dignitaries, and all Americans who wish to visit the historic, beautiful Executive Mansion. The Circuit Court also refused to acknowledge that the desperately needed, and totally secure Ballroom, which is being built ahead of schedule and under budget, is a Gift from President Trump and Great Patriots of the United States of America. The entire Complex, Military and all, is largely built, fabricated, and paid for. Much is already on site, or being delivered. Why didn’t they bring this case long prior to construction starting? There will be no expense to the American Taxpayer. This unjust decision must be overturned by the Supreme Court in its entirety. Thank you for your attention to this deeply important National Security matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP

The lawsuit was filed in December by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, arguing that the administration skipped required inspections before demolishing the White House East Wing and proceeded without congressional approval. Trump countered that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing and questioned why the challenge was not brought before construction began.

The president said his administration will “immediately” appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn it “in its entirety,” appealing for attention to what he called a “deeply important National Security matter.”