Judge Issues Ruling On Construction of Ballroom At White House

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00:00Judge Issues Ruling on Construction of Ballroom at White House

00:03In an unusual twist, a federal judge didn't block a Trump initiative this time, despite the predictable uproar.

00:11The controversy centers on President Donald Trump breaking ground on a privately funded White House ballroom,

00:16with critics treating the move as a crisis, even as it avoided the usual legal roadblocks that often stall his actions.

00:23The National Trust for Historic Preservation claimed the administration skipped procedural steps,

00:28but U.S. District Judge Richard Leon denied a temporary restraining order,

00:33allowing the privately funded below-ground White House ballroom construction to continue.

00:37The decision sparked immediate backlash from critics, despite the limited scope of the work.

00:43Critics are also raging over the $300 million cost of the White House ballroom,

00:47despite it being privately funded and not using taxpayer money.

00:51The passage contrasts this outrage with alleged billions in public funds lost in Minnesota under Governor Tim Walz,

00:57and notes that figures like California Governor Gavin Newsom mocked the project

01:01while overseeing costly state construction projects of their own without similar scrutiny.

01:07Attorney General Pam Bondi has vowed to defend the privately funded White House ballroom project in court.

01:13While the judge allowed construction to proceed, he scheduled a follow-up hearing for next year

01:17and directed the administration to consult planning commissions by month's end.

01:21National Trust Attorney Tad Hoyer mocked the administration's timelines,

01:26but the project remains moving forward for now.

01:29The project itself, a privately funded White House ballroom,

01:32is grand but only controversial to critics who frame it as scandalous simply because it's Trump.

01:39Presidents from FDR to Nixon have renovated and expanded the White House before,

01:43but this addition is being treated as unprecedented outrage,

01:47largely because it's Trump and the project is moving forward.

01:50If Michelle Obama were funding a taxpayer-backed ballroom of inclusivity,

01:54it would be celebrated in the media.

01:57Instead, Trump's privately funded White House ballroom faces lawsuits and outrage,

02:02yet a judge allowed it to proceed.

02:04A rare moment of uninterrupted action in 2025.