Trump Says White House Ballroom Needs Rooftop ‘DronePort,’ Threatens Judge

On May 31, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social saying the proposed White House rooftop 'DronePort' would be 'perhaps, the most sophisticated anywhere in the World' and warned Judge Richard Leon he 'will be held responsible for the Death and Destruction.'

A federal judge issued an injunction halting above-ground construction of the planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom, though an appeals court put that order on hold and allowed construction to continue until June.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to stop the project, and the Justice Department has asked the court to dissolve the injunction, arguing recent attacks underscore the need for enhanced White House security.

The project began as a roughly $100 million ballroom plan and has since grown into about a $400 million undertaking that would create a 90,000-square-foot facility with multiple underground levels and a rooftop drone base.

Judge Richard Leon has not yet ruled on the Justice Department's request to vacate the injunction, and the legal fight over the East Wing project and drone port is ongoing.