U..S. President Donald Trump at the site of ongoing construction of the planned White House ballroom in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 19, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
A reporter revealed that President Donald Trump’s team believes it has found an argument that could help it in its looming Supreme Court fight over his massive White House ballroom: recasting the project as a “military complex” tied to presidential security while arguing the White House has already been torn down anyway.
CNN White House correspondent Alayna Treene said in passing during a panel discussion Monday, "One of the arguments they have, that some people agree with, is that it is a little bit late to stop construction on this. There is a massive hole in the ground."
CNN's Dana Bash agreed, calling it "literally the definition of asking for forgiveness."
So, the president's legal team must finagle with their premise to justify spending taxpayer dollars and continuing with the construction, Bash explained.
"The argument now is that the ballroom is really a military complex because of what they're building underneath for the safety and security of the president and others," she said.
The new framing shifts the debate away from luxury and toward executive authority, security and the president’s power to control the White House grounds. Meanwhile, with construction already underway, Trump may be counting on the practical reality of a partially built project to increase pressure on the justices to let the work continue.
Speaking to NBC News on Sunday, AG Todd Blanche said that there was no reason for Trump to "go to Congress" for approval to tear down the East Wing of the White House and erect the ballroom in the first place.
"We believe Congress has already given us the authority to do what we're doing. Many presidents have done a tremendous amount of work to the White House, as they should. President Trump has said for many months now, almost a year, that he has the authority to do this. And he said that because he absolutely does have the authority to do this. And we're hopeful that the Supreme Court recognizes that. And so that we can get the ballroom finished as soon as possible," Blanche said.
By calling the project a “military complex,” Trump’s allies appear to be betting that national security language will carry more weight with the Supreme Court than the original ballroom pitch.
Treene said that she wanted to remind viewers that Blanche knows Trump is watching his appearance on "Meet the Press" and counting on him to make the proper case.
"And you know that as well, because the president was posting about [Fox News host] Shannon Bream later in the day, saying, 'Why is she sharing all of these old photos of the ballroom?'" Treene explained. "Look, the national security part of this, that also came into play when the president realized he was going to have to start asking for some taxpayer dollars for this. I'd remind people this was supposed to be privately funded. It was supposed to be from donors. Now there's a national security aspect to it, which makes it a little bit more palatable, at least in their minds, to try and find government money for this."
"I've had many conversations with officials about this, that he wanted a new ballroom. He didn't like the idea that foreign leaders would come, and he couldn't host them in a lavish way that they would for him," Treene continued. "It has become a national security thing. They're adding a helipad. You know, I was out there on the south lawn when he gave reporters a little preview of it. But this is an issue that they are going to be digging in to try and fight. They're happy for it to go to the Supreme Court and try to get that to be a broader fight."
“He wants the ballroom because he wants, you know, big audiences. Essentially what he’s creating is a venue. That’s what he wants. He likes big events. He likes big audiences. The bigger the better,” Trump biographer Michael Wolff said earlier this month. “The more people, the more opportunities for Donald Trump to appear before an audience. So this is not about national security. This is about Donald Trump.”
“I’m sure Trump already has the satisfaction of knowing that this has all gone too far, that he is already significantly ahead of any decision that is going to be made,” Wolff added. “And now this goes, of course, to the Supreme Court. This is in the hands of Trump’s judges. And the Supreme Court is going to be, I think, pretty reluctant to make this decision."
A Washington Post–Ipsos poll conducted July 8–13 among 2,648 adults found that 65 percent of Americans were "dissatisfied or upset" about the ballroom, Reflecting Pool renovation, and proposed triumphal arch combined. Just 32 percent had a positive view.