Judge who halted White House ballroom construction allows national security work to proceed at site

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 12:12 PM EDT, April 16, 2026


WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge who halted construction of President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom clarified on Thursday that the administration can proceed with below-ground construction of a bunker and other “national security facilities” at the site.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington issued his latest ruling in a lawsuit over the ballroom project several days after an appeals court instructed him to reconsider the possible national security implications of stopping construction.

Government lawyers had argued that the project includes critical security features to guard against a range of possible threats, such as drones, ballistic missiles and biohazards.

Leon had barred work from proceeding without congressional approval, but he suspended enforcement of that order for two weeks. The appeals court extended that stay until Friday.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/white-house-ballroom-site-trump-1f3ad790860ce7a9c61a5a70d58b8b0e

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Just breaking.

[wcmagumba]

1. Wasn't there already a huge Fuhrer Bunker and even an escape subway to a larger bunker in Virginia?

TSF is probably installing a fake gold encrusted lollygagging space for pee orgies with other pedo pervs...and spruce up that train with more gold leaf crapola...what a world we are living in...your tax dollars at work...JFCOAS...

[maxsolomon]

2. Ridiculous.

That's basically letting the work continue - they're nowhere near grade level yet.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. Federal judge sets new limits on Trump ballroom construction

Judge Richard Leon clarified that some national security work can continue while the overall project is halted.

Link to tweet

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/16/judge-trump-ballroom-limits/

A federal judge set new limits on President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom, saying construction could proceed only on an underground portion of the project deemed necessary by the military, and not on the 90,000-square-foot aboveground addition that Trump has eyed to entertain VIP guests.

“National security is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity,” U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wrote Thursday. He said the Trump administration could also take steps to secure the construction site to make it safe for people on the White House grounds.

Leon, an appointee of President George W. Bush, last month ordered a halt to Trump’s planned $400 million project, ruling that it could not continue until the president obtains approval from Congress. But Leon permitted further construction to ensure “the safety and security of the White House” after Trump officials said work on an underground emergency bunker was necessary to protect the president, his family and his staff......

“No matter how much the Defendants insist otherwise, the lack of a massive ballroom on the White House grounds is not a national-security emergency,” lawyers for the National Trust wrote in a filing Tuesday. They noted that Trump continues to live at the White House and entertain foreign dignitaries, despite the administration’s claim that the current situation poses a security risk.

The National Trust’s lawyers also called attention to the Justice Department’s shifting arguments over the project’s scope. The Trump administration initially maintained that the underground work was separate from the aboveground ballroom, an argument that Leon considered when he declined to pause the project last year and allowed the underground work to continue.

[in2herbs]

4. If F45 is allowed to build below ground because the judge believed his story that it is a

national security risk not to, then why can't F45 be impeached for risking national security?? To follow this judge's thought process F45 is guilty of risking our national security and now our security is exposed to attacks all because he did not ask permission to destroy the entire wing including those things that protect national security??

I think the judge suffers from a lack of critical thinking skills.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. MaddowBlog-For Team Trump, 'national security' becomes the answer to every question

For Team Trump, ‘national security’ becomes the answer to every question

The defense for Trump’s ballroom? “National security.”

Why is Trump gutting wind energy? “National security.”

How did he justify tariffs? “National security.”

Why does he want Greenland? “National security.”

Why does he hate the New York Times? “National security.”

The pattern is not subtle.

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-04-16T18:17:23.649Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/for-team-trump-national-security-becomes-the-answer-to-every-question

It’s not exactly a secret that Donald Trump is fixated on his White House ballroom vanity project, but it was of interest to see the president start emphasizing a national security element to the initiative. The New York Times reported:

President Trump offered a surprising justification last month for forging ahead with construction of his White House ballroom: Halting the $400 million project would pose a grave threat to national security.

‘Everything is drone-proof and bulletproof,’ Mr. Trump said, listing the security features of a bunker being built beneath the ballroom to protect the president in the event of an emergency.

The article noted that this was “hardly the first time the administration had invoked national security to justify a contentious decision,” which got me thinking about just how long the administration’s list has become:

In December, after the administration took new steps to destroy the wind energy industry, with moves that even some of the president’s allies saw as radical, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the move was necessary “due to national security risks.”

Around the same time, Trump renewed his effort to annex Greenland and told reporters, “We need Greenland for national security.”

As part of a weird online harangue against the Times, the president justified his offensive by claiming that the newspaper is “a serious threat to the National Security of our Nation.”

The White House tried to defend its trade tariffs agenda in part by pointing to “national security” concerns.

When administration officials decided to ignore protections for endangered species and allow additional oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, they justified the move on national security grounds.

When the president targeted collective bargaining contracts for hundreds of thousands of federal employees, the White House defended the decision by saying their functions touch on national security.

With increasing frequency, in other words, the White House sees “national security” as the answer to every question. (I’m tempted to describe it as officials’ “Trump card,” though that might be a little too on the nose.)....

On Thursday, a federal judge issued a new order halting construction on the ballroom project, concluding that White House officials were not fully complying with an earlier ruling. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon explained that national security “is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity.”

It was exactly the kind of rebuke the White House has been desperate to avoid.

[riversedge]

6. ...Leon's initial order to halt construction emphasized that the project must remain at a standstill until Congress auth

Leon’s initial order to halt construction emphasized that the project must remain at a standstill until Congress authorizes its completion. He found that no statute “comes close” to granting Trump the authority he claims he has to build the ballroom.
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5834551-judge-white-house-ballroom-trump-underground-construction/



The ballroom is set to be constructed where the East Wing once stood. Demolition began in October to make way for the 90,000-square-foot space for state dinners, galas and other events, which is slated for completion by 2028. Trump has said the project is largely funded by private donors.
..........

[CoopersDad]

7. Let them build everything below ground, the top security bunker, but...

...but nothing above ground level, as a ballroom does not provide any security whatsoever.