Trump says the judge who halted his ballroom should answer for “Death and Destruction,” calling the project a security “DronePort” for D.C.

President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against a federal judge who halted construction on his $400 million White House ballroom project. Trump posted on Truth Social, warning that the legal delay could lead to catastrophic consequences for the country.

In his post, Trump directly targeted Judge Richard Leon, who issued an injunction in April to stop the above-ground construction of the facility. Trump claimed that Judge Leon would be held accountable for any future security failures in Washington, D.C. stemming from his ruling. “Judge Richard Leon should stop playing games with America’s Security! If anything happens, he will be held responsible for the Death and Destruction caused to our Country,” Trump wrote.

According to The Independent, Trump also urged that the lawsuit be dismissed immediately, arguing that the capital can no longer be protected by conventional means like rifles and pistols due to the rise of modern, sophisticated weaponry.

Trump’s ballroom security claim and the legal battle over the White House construction project

Trump’s argument centers on a security feature he envisions for the ballroom, which he claims will double as a droneport. Sharing AI-generated images of the concept on Truth Social, Trump asserted, “The DronePort at the White House Ballroom will be, perhaps, the most sophisticated anywhere in the World! It will safeguard our Nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C., long into the future.” 

Trump recently told Lara Trump on Fox News that the project would be the most secure facility ever built. Washington, D.C.’s air defense currently involves established entities including the Joint Air Defense Operations Center, alongside the Navy and Coast Guard. The legal battle remains ongoing, as an appeal filed shortly after the April ruling temporarily blocked the injunction until June. 

The ballroom project has also drawn criticism from within Trump’s own party, with at least one Senate Republican threatening to vote against the funding bill tied to it. The Justice Department has also applied pressure to have the injunction vacated.  Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche filed a request to dismiss the lawsuit, citing recent security concerns near the White House. 

In his filing, Blanche stated, “In light of the recent attacks against President Trump’s life – including two attempts in less than a month – the injunction entered by this Court for the benefit of a strolling woman, who filed suit against the East Wing Project long before she knew what was going to be built (This is a woman who is a known serial plaintiff throughout Washington, D.C.), and who has absolutely no standing, must be immediately vacated, and this suit, which is a complete embarrassment to our Country, must be dismissed.”

Despite this pressure from the executive branch, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which initiated the lawsuit that led to Judge Leon’s ruling, has confirmed it will continue to pursue its case. Republican congressman Thomas Massie has also compared the ballroom’s design to Roman Empire architecture, publicly criticizing the project after his primary loss.

The legal dispute pits the Trump administration’s push for a high-tech security structure against ongoing efforts by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to halt the project and protect existing structures on the grounds.