President Donald Trump is pushing back against a federal appeals court ruling blocking construction of his White House ballroom, arguing that presidents aren’t “tenants” and that the massive project is actually a “Military Complex” complete with a rooftop “DronePort.”
A divided federal appeals court ruled Friday that Trump cannot continue aboveground construction of the $400 million, 90,000-square-foot project without congressional approval.
“Each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House,” Judges Patricia Millett and Brad Garcia wrote in the 2-1 decision, noting that the building is maintained for current and future presidents — and ultimately belongs to the American people.
Trump took issue with the terminology.
“We are not tenants, who pay rent and do all other things that a tenant must do, we are PRESIDENTS,” Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social, arguing presidents have the right to “fix, renovate, secure, protect, and beautify” the White House without congressional permission.
Trump called the ruling a “National Security Threat at the highest level” and vowed to take the case to the Supreme Court.
He also described the project as a “SECURE Ballroom/Military Complex, including a major DronePort on the roof.” The latter which was backed up by AI pictures posted to his account with drones and planes and military gear littering the rooftop.
The military components aren’t entirely new. Trump previously said the project would include underground bunkers, medical facilities and a rooftop drone base. But the appeals court noted that the existing injunction specifically allows construction of underground bunkers, bomb shelters and military and medical infrastructure to continue, along with aboveground work strictly necessary for security.
What remains blocked is construction of the ballroom itself.
And it is substantial. At 90,000 square feet, the proposed complex would be larger than an average Kohl’s department store, which the company says occupies roughly 80,000 square feet.
The judges also disputed Trump’s assertion that presidents have historically renovated the White House without needing congressional involvement. Congress authorized reconstruction after the British burned the White House during the War of 1812 and specifically appropriated money used to construct the original East and West Wings.
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The court said it knew of no previous president who privately funded the demolition of a substantial portion of the White House that Congress had authorized and taxpayers had funded.
“Until now,” the judges wrote.
The court paused its decision for 14 days to give the administration time to seek Supreme Court review.
Whether the justices ultimately let Trump finish his ballroom — or Ballroom/Military Complex/DronePort — is now likely up to them.
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