Crucial Quote
“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!” Trump wrote.
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Tangent
In addition to the ballroom, Trump is building a helipad on the South Lawn of the White House. Several other of Trump’s Capitol renovation projects have been subject to court challenges, including his troubled renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and his proposed 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery.
Key Background
The Trump administration has continued with construction of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom amid the court battle, as Leon’s April ruling was put on hold as the appeals process played out. Trump has claimed the project is a necessary security upgrade for the White House and has used the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Washington Hilton in April to bolster his argument. Trump initially promised the ballroom would not be built using taxpayer dollars and that private donations would fund construction, though the cost of the project has soared to an estimated $600 million, up $400 million from Trump’s initial estimate, according to a recent Washington Post analysis that also found, according to internal contractor estimates, that taxpayers are projected to cover half of the cost. The Secret Service in June also transferred about $350 million last month to cover White House security upgrades, which the administration has acknowledged would be used, at least in part, to pay for construction of the underground bunker system below the ballroom.
further reading
Jackhammer Drives Into White House Helipad After Trump Reportedly Orders Changes (Forbes)
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White House Fortifying Front Door Where Tarps Hang Amid Trump’s Construction Blitz (Forbes)
Trump’s Other ‘Vanity Projects’ Will Cost $162.5 Million—In Addition To $1.4 Billion Ballroom Possibly Funded By Taxpayers (Forbes)
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