\u201cFor 150 years, they\u2019ve wanted to build a ballroom at the White House. Other presidents have wanted it,\u201d Trump said recently. \u201cWhen we have dignitaries coming like President Xi of China or anybody else, we have very small rooms. They\u2019re not big enough to handle the kind of capacity that you need.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The president has also emphasized that the ballroom would be funded entirely through private donations and personal contributions, insisting that \u201cnot one dime of government money\u201d is being used for the above-ground structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the project has drawn intensified scrutiny in recent days after Trump revealed that the ballroom would sit atop a previously undisclosed underground military complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cNow, the military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, and that\u2019s under construction, and we\u2019re doing very well,\u201d Trump said aboard Air Force One over the weekend, attributing the public disclosure to a lawsuit that brought details into the open.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
He described the ballroom as heavily fortified, with \u201call bullet-proof glass\u201d and \u201cdrone-proof roofs, ceilings,\u201d adding, \u201cUnfortunately, we\u2019re living in an age when that\u2019s a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump has also suggested the above-ground structure would effectively serve as a protective layer for what lies beneath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe ballroom essentially becomes a shed for what\u2019s being built under the military, including from drones and including from any other thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That revelation has fueled further debate over the true scope and purpose of the project, with critics arguing that the combination of a major structural addition and a secretive military component raises both legal and transparency concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Architectural critics have also questioned aspects of the design, while preservationists warn that the addition could alter the historic integrity of the White House complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tuesday\u2019s ruling now throws the project\u2019s future into uncertainty. Construction cannot resume unless Congress steps in to authorize the plan\u2014an outcome that could prove politically contentious given the growing controversy surrounding both the ballroom and the underground development tied to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.<\/em>
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