Fury Erupts as Trump Sued Over Lavish $300M White House Ballroom Project: ‘Unconstitutional Power Grab’ Claimed
- Historic preservation group slams Trump administration for alleged skipped reviews and lack of congressional approval
- $300M project to build 90,000-square-foot ballroom accused of violating federal statutes and the Constitution
- White House construction sparks outrage with demolition of historic East Wing, ‘depriving the public of its right to be informed’
In a bombshell lawsuit, a leading historic preservation group has slammed the Trump administration for a lavish $300 million project to build a massive new ballroom at the White House, accusing the President of an “unconstitutional power grab” that bypassed mandatory reviews and congressional approval.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed the lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming that the President’s pet project has sparked a “constitutional crisis” by ignoring federal statutes and violating the Constitution. At the heart of the controversy is the demolition of the White House’s historic East Wing, which has been torn down to make way for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
“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 stated. “And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.”
The lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration failed to submit its demolition plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts, and Congress before construction began, “depriving the public of its right to be informed”. The National Trust is demanding that a federal judge halt the project until the necessary federal commissions have reviewed and approved the project’s plans, an adequate environmental review has been conducted, and Congress has authorized the ballroom’s construction.
When reached for comment, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital, “President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate and beautify the White House – just like all of his predecessors did.” However, the National Trust countered that the President’s actions are “wholly without constitutional authority” and that the project violates numerous federal statutes, including the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
The controversy has sparked outrage among locals and preservationists, who have slammed the project as a “vanity exercise” that will irreparably damage the historic integrity of the White House. As the battle heads to court, one thing is clear: the nation is watching, and the stakes have never been higher.