Photo: Alamy
President Trump’s Department of Justice filed a motion on Monday making an impassioned – and uniquely worded – argument for the White House Ballroom project, which has been held up in court by preservationists opposing its construction.
The motion heavily emphasized the Saturday night incident during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., in which a lone gunman allegedly attempted to assassinate the president and members of the senior cabinet.
“The attack confirms that this Court’s injunction is intolerable and unsustainable as a matter of equity and Law,” the filing read.
The filing was written in the style of President Donald Trump’s Truth Social posts, complete with his unique patterns of capitalization and the president’s signature mode of critical attack:
‘The National Trust for Historic Preservation’ is a beautiful name, but even their name is FAKE because when they add the words ‘in the United States’ to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, it makes it sound like a Governmental Agency, which it is not. In fact, the United States refused to continue funding it in 2005 because they strongly disagreed with their mission and objectives. They are very bad for our Country. They stop many projects that are worthy, and hurt many others. In this case, they are trying to stop one that is vital to our National Security, and the Safety of all Presidents of the United States, both current and future, their families, staff, and Cabinet members.”
The president, his team, and allies have highlighted the shooting on Saturday night as an opportunity to emphasize what they argue is an immediate need to build an on-site ballroom that can provide the necessary security for the president and his cabinet for future events.
According to The New York Times, the DOJ’s filing on Monday is asking the presiding judge for an “indicative ruling – a nonbinding opinion signaling how he would approach the question if the case were returned to him. Such a ruling could inform the appeals court ahead of its decision but would not immediately dissolve the earlier injunction or otherwise end the case.”
The motion, signed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, argued that the lawsuit against the White House Ballroom project was “frivolous and meritless.”
The closing lines of the filing, like the rest of the document, were written in the style of President Trump’s signature narrative voice:
“But, because it is DONALD J. TRUMP, a highly successful real estate developer, who has abilities that others don’t, especially those who assume the Office of President, this frivolous and meritless lawsuit was filed. Again, it’s called TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME. On top of everything else, this project is a gift to our Country from President Trump, and other Donors. It is free of charge to the American Taxpayer. Who could ever object to that?”
From the beginning, President Trump has said that private donations would fund the construction of the White House Ballroom, but Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has since drawn up legislation in the wake of Saturday’s shooting asking for the whopping $400 million in taxpayer funding to finance the project instead, per Reuters.
“I’d like the vote as soon as possible to accelerate what America needs: A secure facility for the president and others to meet in, to have a good time, to enjoy themselves without putting the nation at risk,” Graham stated this week, via the outlet.
