The Trump administration has argued in court that work on the president’s gaudy White House ballroom must continue for unclear national security reasons.
Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn made the claim in a sworn statement responding to a lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which is asking a federal judge to halt President Donald Trump’s project.
Quinn argued that construction on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom at a projected cost of $300 million must continue so the Secret Service can carry out unspecified “safety and security requirements,” the Associated Press reported.
The 36-page court filing did not explain the nature of those concerns, though the East Wing sits above an underground bunker used by the president during emergency operations.
Quinn claimed that halting construction, even temporarily, would “consequently hamper” the Secret Service’s ability to fulfill its mission, including protecting the president.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a congressionally chartered nonprofit tasked with safeguarding historic sites, sued the Trump administration, arguing that construction of the president’s ballroom is unlawful.
The agency says the ballroom project must go through multiple independent reviews and receive approval from Congress. The group contends the project is proceeding without required approval from Congress or the National Capital Planning Commission and without an “adequate” environmental impact review.
“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever—not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,” the lawsuit states. “And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.”
A hearing on the case is scheduled for Tuesday in a Washington, D.C., court. The Trump administration has also offered to share classified details with the judge in a closed setting without the plaintiffs present, according to the AP.
In response to the lawsuit, the National Park Service filed an environmental assessment of the ballroom, concluding the project may not be completed until the summer of 2028—the final months of Trump’s second term in office.
The assessment found that the ballroom, projected to be nearly double the size of the main White House executive building, would “disrupt the historical continuity of the White House grounds and alter the architectural integrity of the east side of the property.”
“The new building’s larger footprint and height will dominate the eastern portion of the site, creating a visual imbalance with the more modestly scaled West Wing and Executive Mansion,” the assessment stated. “These changes will adversely alter the design, setting, and feeling of the White House and the grounds over the long term.”
It went on to decide that there was no significant impact from the project.
The ballroom is one of several Mar-a-Lago-inspired tacky makeovers that Trump is carrying out in the White House and across D.C.
This includes covering the Oval Office in golden trinkets, paving over the Rose Garden and replacing it with a concrete patio, and announcing plans to build a so-called “Arc de Trump,” across from the Lincoln Memorial in the nation’s capital.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
