'Not the owner!': Bush judge slaps down Trump's ballroom

President Donald Trump must stop demolishing the White House’s East Wing in his effort to build a ballroom, ordered a judge appointed by one of Trump’s fellow Republican presidents.

“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!” Judge Richard Leon, who had been appointed by President George W. Bush, said in his decision. Denying Trump’s assertion to preexisting authority to destroy parts of the White House and pay for the new construction with private funds, Leon agreed with the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States that likely “no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have. As such, I must therefore GRANT the National Trust's Motion for a Preliminary Injunction, and the ballroom construction project must stop until Congress authorizes its completion.”

Leon later reiterated, “unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!"

Journalist and lawyer Julie DeCaro commented that Leon’s decision, though legally correct, came far too late to prevent the destruction of the historic building wing.

"It would have been great to get this opinion before he demolished the East Wing, but no one moved fast enough,” DeCaro posted on Bluesky. “It's a metaphor for his entire administration."

DeCaro is not alone in feeling dismayed that Trump was able to destroy the East Wing without meaningful resistance. After Trump first announced his destruction of the East Wing, the White House received over 9,000 pages of public comments and almost none of them were supportive. Observations included "complete DISASTER,” an “eyesore,” an “abomination,” "NO GAUDY FAKE GOLD STUFF ALL OVER THE PLACE,” “no one wants to be in an adjunct building in a large crowd with lengthened security protocols” and “appalling.” D.C. preservationist, Alison Hoagland, said that “constructing a ballroom is possible, but it should be deferential to the White House, not overwhelming,” while Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio) spoke out in protest.

"The stark images of the East Wing demolished in mere days were deeply disturbing to Americans who cherish preservation of our nation's history," Turner said. Similarly former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) referred to Trump as a “jackass” for destroying the East Wing.

"This jack—— in the f—— White House is destroying a permanent structure that can't come back," Walsh said. "He can't do this on his own! There's a rigorous, rigorous process to mess with the restructuring, structural changes of the White House, and he just blows right through all of that!"

In addition to destroying the East Wing, Trump announced earlier in March that he will destroy Tennessee Flagstone pavers on the West Wing Colonnade installed by President Thomas Jefferson to replace them with a black granite installation, which he also says he will pay for himself. The Jeffersonian originals will be sent to a nursery for safekeeping. On this occasion, ripping out Jefferson’s physical legacy symbolizes Trump’s opposition to his political legacy.

“[Jefferson’s] 'empire of liberty' offered the potential to dismantle the artificial hierarchies inherited from the past and imbue all aspects of life with the promise of freedom and happiness," Dean Caivano, an assistant professor of political theory at Lehigh University and author of "A Politics of All: Thomas Jefferson and Radical Democracy," told this author for Salon Magazine in 2024. "Although this idealized image of a free and harmonious American society is undeniably marred by the institution and legacy of slavery, overlooking the role of education and science as prerequisites for freedom and equality diminishes our ability to assess the historical and contemporary limits of American democracy critically."

Caivano contrasted this with Trump’s attitude toward science, which "relies on reactionary, draconian, and dogmatic thinking. By launching a direct assault on the scientific community, Project 2025 undermines the foundation of an enlightened citizenry that Jefferson held in high regard. The project advocates for dramatic cuts to research and development, promotes climate denialism, and seeks to hyper-politicize public health and STEM fields."

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