Donald Trump has shared a major deadline for a project very close to his heart: the completion of the White House ballroom. The US President took to Truth Social on Friday morning, only a few hours after ending his official visit to China, to reveal that construction should be wrapped up by September 2028.
Alongside the update, Mr Trump shared a picture of himself with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he called “one of the World’s Great Leaders!”. He wrote: “China has a Ballroom, and so should the U.S.A.! It’s under construction, ahead of schedule, and will be the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the U.S.A.
“Thank you for all the support I have been given in getting this project going. Scheduled opening will be around September of 2028.
“The man I am walking with is President Xi, of China, one of the World’s Great Leaders! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
In March, a federal judge ordered a temporary halt to construction following a lawsuit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which claims that demolishing the East Wing without congressional approval or oversight reviews is illegal.
Judge Richard Leon said the US President is “steward” of the White House, “not… the owner”, and likely did not have legal authority to build without Congress.
The Department of Justice has pressured the trust to drop the suit following the shooting at a White House correspondents’ dinner last month, arguing the incident proves that the new “safe space” ballroom is needed.
Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social after the shooting: “What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE.
“This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough!”
Despite this, the preservationists are moving ahead with the lawsuit. Construction briefly resumed amid the appeals process, though there are significant constraints in place.
