DANCING IN THE DARK

Appeals Court Gives Trump Go-Ahead on Ballroom Build—for Now

An earlier order blocking above-ground construction on the president’s pet project has been temporarily reversed.

Just one day after construction was halted, a federal appeals court has allowed President Donald Trump to continue building his controversial $400 million White House ballroom project until a full hearing is held. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit late Friday temporarily stayed an order issued a day earlier by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon halting the above-ground portion of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the razed East Wing. Leon allowed only below-ground work on a bunker and other “national security facilities” at the site. Leon was sharply critical of the East Wing destruction, calling efforts to justify the project on national security grounds “incredible, if not disingenuous.” The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued to block construction, arguing that Trump lacked the authority to launch the project without required approvals. A full hearing is scheduled in the Court of Appeals for June 5.