‘National disgrace’: Trump slams court ruling halting ballroom construction; to challenge in Supreme Court

US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) called a federal appeals court ruling that halted plans to build a new White House ballroom a “National Security Threat” and a “National disgrace.” He also said his administration would immediately take the matter to the US Supreme Court.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump criticised the divided federal appeals court's ruling, which stated that building the proposed ballroom would require congressional approval.

The US President wrote, "Two Judges, one appointed by Barack Hussein Obama, the other by Sleepy Joe Biden, said in a ruling on the desperately needed SECURE Ballroom/Military Complex, including a major DronePort on the roof, that 'Each President is a temporary tenant...of the White House.' We are not tenants... we are PRESIDENTS, elected by the people of the United States of America, and have many rights, including the right to fix, renovate, secure, protect, and beautify the White House grounds."

Describing the ruling as a threat to national security, he added, "This decision, made after much of the work has been done and paid for, is a National Security Threat at the highest level. It is also a National Disgrace."

Trump's ballroom construction plan put on hold

According to CNN, a US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in a 2-1 ruling said that the Trump administration could not move forward with the massive ballroom project without congressional approval.

Citing the court ruling, news agency AP reported that the US President lacks unilateral authority to construct a 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-metre) ballroom on the site of the White House's East Wing, which Trump ordered demolished last fall.

The appeals court said, "Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help."

However, the court stayed implementation of its order for two weeks, allowing the Trump administration sufficient time to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Reiterating that his administration would challenge the ruling, Trump added in his social media post, "We will be immediately appealing to the United States Supreme Court," and called on the country's top court to overturn the decision "in its entirety."

According to reports, the federal appeals court ruling on Friday was the second time this week that the Trump administration's construction plans were called into question. A National Park Service assessment found that the 250-foot-tall (76-metre-tall) triumphal arch proposed by Trump could undermine the historical significance of dozens of sites near its planned location on a traffic circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

Preservationists sue Trump's ballroom project

The case is linked to the US President's plan to replace the East Wing with a ballroom and was filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organisation that challenged the administration in court. The nonprofit sued over the project in December last year, roughly a week after the completion of the East Wing's demolition to pave the way for a ballroom, which, according to the US President, would have a capacity of 999 people.

Reacting to Friday's ruling, the group said it upheld "the American people's right to voice their opinions about the historic places they cherish,” including the White House.

The focus will now shift to the Supreme Court as the Trump administration challenges the federal appeals court's ruling.

(with agency inputs)