The administration begged a federal judge on Tuesday to let construction continue on President Trump’s grand ballroom project at the White House, reminding the court that he has faced “multiple assassination attempts” in recent years.
The ballroom is tangled in unprecedented legal questions, but Mr. Trump is eager to keep building as much as he can while the matter is being argued in the courts.
An appeals court has allowed him to continue construction until Friday, while U.S. District Judge Richard Leon rules on some issues the appeals court asked him to decide.
Mr. Trump’s lawyers asked in their new filing Tuesday for an even longer grace period to continue work, citing the safety and security upgrades being contemplated in the ballroom project.
“The importance of this case cannot be overstated, as it implicates the personal safety of President Donald J. Trump, who has survived multiple assassination attempts, including being shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024,” Brantley Mayers, a Justice Department lawyer, said in a court filing.
That attempt, while Mr. Trump was holding a campaign rally, saw the gunman’s bullet strike his ear, leaving him bloodied. Later during the campaign, another man showed up with a rifle at a golf course where Mr. Trump was playing. A Secret Service agent spotted Ryan Routh, the would-be assassin, just before Mr. Trump would have reached that hole.
Then, earlier this year, an armed man was shot and killed as he intruded on the grounds of Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
The Justice Department argues that Mr. Trump, as president, has complete authority over building projects at the White House.
It said that must be the case, particularly because the president’s security is at stake — and it has increasingly pointed to security enhancements as a reason to advance the ballroom project.
In one court filing, the government pointed to missile-resistant steel columns, drone-proof roofing, a “medical area” and secret military “installations, structures and equipment.”
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued to stop construction, arguing Mr. Trump can’t act unilaterally.
Judge Leon agreed in a ruling late last month, saying Congress, not the president, controls public lands and government spending and, in particular, has jurisdiction over the District of Columbia.
“The president of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” the judge said.
He said he was trying to sort out what part of the current construction is safety- and security-related, and what is a part of Mr. Trump’s vision of a grand ballroom for entertaining visitors.
Judge Leon issued a short-term stay of his ruling, and the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia over the weekend continued that stay until Friday.
Mr. Trump’s legal team has now asked for more time.
