President Trump has announced that his administration will "immediately" appeal the ruling issued by a federal appeals court on Friday (affirming a lower court ruling that partially blocked the White House ballroom construction) to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In a post on his Truth Social on Friday, the president had some fiery words in his reaction to the judges in the majority on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, writing:
Two Obama and Biden Appellate Court Judges just voted against the desperately needed Military Center, required for the National Security of Washington, D.C., and our Country, itself.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 7, 2026
Then he quoted at length what he described as some "key points" of the dissenting judge:
Highly Respected Judge, Neomi Rao, stated the following key points, among others, in a strongly worded dissent:
“This was a blatant abuse of discretion…To begin with, the district court had no jurisdiction because the Trust has no standing to stop construction at the White House…[T]he balance of equities overwhelmingly favors the government. The district court elevated the aesthetic displeasure of a single passerby over the government’s security interests in the ballroom and the security risks of leaving an open construction site at the President’s home and office…These errors in equitable judgment require vacating the injunction…The district court seized supervision of construction at the White House, and my colleagues affirm this judicial overreach…Because the injunction is beyond the proper province of the federal courts, construction should be allowed to continue.”
As my colleague Susie Moore wrote in her earlier piece on the ruling, the court, by a vote of 2-1, "upheld a preliminary injunction blocking construction of the proposed addition":
In a nutshell, the appellate court held that Congress — not the President — controls major structural changes to the White House.
...
The decision was 2-1, with Judges Patricia Millet (Obama) and Brad Garcia (Biden) in the majority, and Judge Neomi Rao (Trump) authoring a 34-page dissent. In her dissent, Rao contends that the injunction gives too little deference to the Executive on national security needs at the White House. Rao would have allowed construction to proceed while the case is being litigated.
Bear in mind, this is not the final say on this issue. The D.C. Circuit stayed its own decision for 14 days to allow the administration to seek Supreme Court review, which it almost certainly will.
Read More: Federal Appeals Court Throws a Wrench Into Trump's White House Ballroom Plans
And indeed, Trump said just that:
The decision has been stayed, and does not take effect for a period of time. We will be immediately appealing to the United States Supreme Court.
He called out the ruling as "horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful ruling as a National Security threat to our Nation," explaining how details of the addition would protect "our Country and... all future Presidents":
The Military and Secret Service are viewing this horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful ruling as a National Security threat to our Nation in that the entire Complex is being built for the protection of our Country and, additionally, all future Presidents. The single, integrated project includes Bomb Shelters, State of the Art Hospital and Medical Facilities, Protective Partitioning, Top Secret Military Facilities, Structures and Equipment, Protective Missile Resistant Steel, Columns, Roofs, and Beams, Drone Proof Ceilings and Roofs, Military Grade Venting, and Bullet, Ballistic, and Blast Proof Glass. It is all tied together as one big, expensive, and very complex unit, which is vital for National Security and Military Operations of the United States of America!
Pres. Trump blasted the court's ruling on several points:
The Circuit Court’s decision, which is totally wrong on the vital subject of STANDING, of which the plaintiff has none, severely jeopardizes the lives and welfare of the people who work, and will be working, at the White House — including all future Presidents of the United States, and their families, as well as the lives of all those visiting, such as Heads of State and other Dignitaries, and all Americans who wish to visit the historic, beautiful Executive Mansion.
The Circuit Court also refused to acknowledge that the desperately needed, and totally secure Ballroom, which is being built ahead of schedule and under budget, is a Gift from President Trump and Great Patriots of the United States of America. The entire Complex, Military and all, is largely built, fabricated, and paid for. Much is already on site, or being delivered. Why didn’t they bring this case long prior to construction starting? There will be no expense to the American Taxpayer. This unjust decision must be overturned by the Supreme Court in its entirety. Thank you for your attention to this deeply important National Security matter!
As Moore noted, like the preliminary injunction issued in late March by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, which the White House then appealed, Friday's ruling includes a delay in being implemented for an appeal to proceed. Stay tuned for further developments on this story, readers.
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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