CNN’s resident MAGA mouthpiece Scott Jennings clashed with fellow panelists over a federal judge’s decision to halt Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled on Tuesday that the 79-year-old president lacked the authority to tear down the East Wing and build the 90,000-square-foot ballroom—the budget for which has soared to $400 million, double the original price tag.
Leon granted a request for a preliminary injunction by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which had accused Trump of overstepping his authority to fast-track the construction of his vanity project. His ruling will take effect in 14 days.
“Are you guys really that mad about the ballroom?” Jennings asked Tuesday afternoon on CNN’s The Arena With Kasie Hunt.
The 48-year-old pundit, who served as a presidential aide under George W. Bush, complained that there’s now “a giant hole in the ground” with construction of the ballroom halted.
“Now, what are we going to do? Just leave it there?” he asked. “When you get the government involved in building stuff, ask the people in California what happens when the government gets involved in building stuff. You don’t build anything. There’s a big hole. I agree…"
Host Abby Phillip said she thought it “fair” for Americans to be “upset” about Trump tearing down the historic East Wing.
Fellow panelist Ana Navarro slammed Trump for the destruction of the East Wing and for destroying the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, also known as the First Lady’s Garden, last fall. He paved over the garden to make it a patio and added a tacky sign.
“I think it has tremendous historical value that nobody even bothered to save anywhere,’ Navarro said of the East Wing.
“I am p---ed at what he’s done to Jackie Kennedy’s garden. Is it the thing I’m most p---ed off about? No, I care a lot more about the people that have gotten killed in the streets of Minneapolis, but I think it’s pretty outrageous that he is acting like a king.”
Jennings fired back, asking his fellow commentators: “Should we leave a hole in the ground?”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Before Judge Leon’s decision on Tuesday, the ballroom was expected to be completed in late 2028, coinciding with the end of Trump’s second term in office.
Trump lashed out at the judge on his social media platform, Truth Social, writing, “In the Ballroom case, the Judge said we have to get Congressional approval. He is WRONG!”
“Congressional approval has never been given on anything, in these circumstances, big or small, having to do with construction at the White House,” Trump raged. “In this case, even less so, because the Ballroom is being built with Private Donations, no Federal Taxpayer Money!”
In a statement on Tuesday, Carol Quillen, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said: “This is a win for the American people on a project that forever impacts one of the most beloved and iconic places in our nation.”
The Daily Beast revealed in December that the president’s ballroom project would be located on the second level of a newly constructed two-story building. It is expected to be connected to the president’s primary residence.
Trump’s round of aggressive renovations began when he returned to the White House for a second term last year.
He has also gilded the Oval Office with rococo mirrors, gold medallions, and eagle figurines, erected oversized flagpoles on the grounds, and announced plans to build a triumphal arch across from the Lincoln Memorial—a so-called “Arc de Trump.”
