President Donald Trump is escalating his criticism of efforts to block construction of the proposed $400 million White House ballroom and rooftop drone operations facility, arguing that legal challenges to the project are undermining both modernization efforts and national security interests.<\/p>\n
Specifically, Trump called out U.S. District Judge Richard Leon for catering to a \u201cserial plaintiff\u201d whose \u201cridiculous lawsuit\u201d is a serious national security risk.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe DronePort at the White House Ballroom will be, perhaps, the most sophisticated anywhere in the World!\u201d Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social. \u201cIt will safeguard our Nation\u2019s Capital, Washington, D.C., long into the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cJudge Richard Leon should stop playing games with America\u2019s Security!\u201d Trump wrote of the George W. Bush appointee.<\/p>\n
Trump pressed Leon to dismiss the lawsuit from a person he described as a \u201chighly litigious woman,\u201d while also warning the judge would be \u201cheld responsible\u201d if the White House is successfully attacked.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf anything happens, he will be held responsible for the Death and Destruction caused to our Country,\u201d Trump added.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has already created enough problems by allowing \u2018Top Secret\u2019 information to be released and exposed based on a ridiculous lawsuit started by a highly litigious woman (serial plaintiff!) whose \u2018strolling,\u2019 in her opinion, will be disturbed by the new, desperately needed structure \u2013 In any event, a woman who has absolutely no STANDING!\u201d Trump continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the advent of highly sophisticated, and powerful, modern day weaponry, we can no longer defend Washington, D.C., with rifles and pistols, alone,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis ridiculous lawsuit must be dismissed, IMMEDIATELY!\u201d Trump added.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s comments came as the Justice Department renewed its push to have Judge Richard Leon lift an injunction that has delayed portions of the White House project.<\/p>\n
In a recent court filing, government attorneys argued that security concerns surrounding the executive mansion have only become more urgent, pointing to a shooting near a White House security checkpoint earlier this month as evidence that additional protective measures are needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn light of the recent attacks against President Trump\u2019s life \u2014 including two attempts in less than a month \u2014 the injunction entered by this Court for the benefit of a strolling woman, who filed suit against the East Wing Project long before she knew what was going to be built (This is a woman who is a known serial plaintiff throughout Washington, D.C.), and who has absolutely no standing, must be immediately vacated, and this suit, which is a complete embarrassment to our Country, must be dismissed,\u201d acting Attorney General Todd Blanche noted in the five-page filing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a terrible, tremendously harmful case to the United States of America, and all it stands for!\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Just last month, a gunman opened fire at a White House checkpoint. He was shot by uniformed Secret Service officers and later died at a local hospital.<\/p>\n
Leon ruled in April that President Donald Trump lacked the authority to move forward with the White House ballroom project without explicit congressional approval, issuing an injunction that halted above-ground construction on the facility.<\/p>\n
That victory for opponents proved short-lived. An appeals court quickly stepped in and temporarily suspended Leon\u2019s order, allowing construction activities to continue while the legal battle proceeds.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit was filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a congressionally chartered nonprofit that has aggressively opposed the project. The organization has refused to abandon the case even after the Justice Department argued that recent security threats highlighted the urgent need for the planned upgrades.<\/p>\n
U.S. attorneys pointed to a foiled attack connected to the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner earlier this year as evidence that enhanced security infrastructure should not be delayed by prolonged litigation.<\/p>\n
The stakes extend far beyond a ballroom.<\/p>\n
Trump has previously revealed that the broader project includes a rooftop drone operations facility and a six-story underground complex designed to support continuity-of-government functions, including military coordination, a hospital, and advanced research facilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Donald Trump is escalating his criticism of efforts to block construction of the proposed $400 million White House ballroom and rooftop drone operations facility, arguing that legal challenges to … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13633,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n