{"id":4081,"date":"2026-06-17T10:37:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T10:37:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4081"},"modified":"2026-06-17T10:37:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T10:37:49","slug":"doj-urges-appeals-court-to-let-trump-build-ballroom-citing-failed-ufc-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4081","title":{"rendered":"DOJ urges appeals court to let Trump build ballroom, citing failed UFC attack"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Trump administration says that a foiled attack on the UFC event held on the White House grounds over the weekend proves the need for a new ballroom. (Nathan Howard\/Reuters)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The Justice Department is asking a federal appeals court to let President Donald Trump continue building his planned White House ballroom, arguing that a thwarted attack<\/a> on Trump\u2019s recent Ultimate Fighting Championship event proves the need for the facility.<\/p>

Read more Trump says, \u2018Let the oil flow.\u2019 Prices may not follow.<\/a><\/p>\n

Brett Shumate, an assistant attorney general, urged<\/a> a panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. to lift a lower court\u2019s order blocking much of the construction on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom, contending that the project\u2019s security features are needed to protect the president. As evidence, Shumate cited the foiled threat against the UFC event on the White House grounds over the weekend. Authorities have said they intercepted and stopped plans to fly explosives-laden drones over attendees and gun down people who fled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis latest assassination plot against President Trump and dignitaries at the White House demonstrates the compelling need for the East Wing Project, with a Ballroom designed to defend against just such attacks,\u201d Shumate wrote<\/a> in a letter filed Tuesday and made public early Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Shumate argued that the ballroom\u2019s planned \u201cDrone Port and Sniper Nests\u201d would have been able to \u201cdestroy any effort\u201d to attack the UFC event, and that the ballroom\u2019s \u201cmass and height\u201d would provide a shield for the White House.<\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ordered a halt to aboveground construction<\/a> on the project in April, saying that the administration failed to demonstrate that the ballroom needed to be completed immediately for national security reasons. The three-judge appeals panel previously stayed Leon\u2019s order while it considers the administration\u2019s appeal, allowing construction to continue<\/a> in the interim. Administration officials have said they expect the project to take at least two more years.<\/p>\n

The Justice Department has previously argued<\/a> that other threats to the president, such as a shooting at the White House correspondents\u2019 dinner, prove why the space is needed.<\/p>

Read more Trump cancels hearing for intelligence chief pick, says Pulte will remain<\/a><\/p>\n

Those arguments did not sway Leon, an appointee of President George W. Bush, who has kept his order in place. Two of three judges hearing the administration\u2019s appeal \u2014 Bradley Garcia, a Biden appointee, and Patricia Ann Millett, an Obama appointee \u2014 appeared skeptical<\/a> of the Justice Department\u2019s arguments about Trump\u2019s authority to build the ballroom in a court hearing this month.<\/p>\n

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued to halt the ballroom\u2019s construction, has previously said<\/a> it would continue its legal challenge despite the Justice Department\u2019s past demands.<\/p>\n

The shooting at the correspondents dinner was an \u201cawful event\u201d but did not change the legal reality that the Constitution and federal law require Trump to get Congress\u2019s approval for the project, the trust said in April. The nonprofit, which is authorized by Congress to protect federal buildings, has pushed back sharply against the Justice Department\u2019s contention that the lawsuit endangers the president.<\/p>\n

The Washington Post reported Tuesday<\/a> that contractors\u2019 internal estimates for the cost of the ballroom had risen to $600 million, with half paid by taxpayers. The White House put the cost at $200 million last year and said it would be paid by private donors.<\/p>

Read more Pereira fumes over \u2018illegal shots\u2019 after Gane\u2019s interim UFC heavyweight title win<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A top Justice Department official said the ballroom’s planned \u201cDrone Port and Sniper Nests\u201d would have been able to \u201cdestroy any effort\u201d to attack the UFC event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nDOJ urges appeals court to let Trump build ballroom, citing failed UFC attack - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4081\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DOJ urges appeals court to let Trump build ballroom, citing failed UFC attack - 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