Justice Department Files Bizarre Motion to Defend Trump’s White House Ballroom Amid Security Claims

The Justice Department has filed a seven-page legal motion defending Donald Trump’s proposed 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom, adopting a tone more reminiscent of a social media rant than a formal court document.

The filing, submitted on Monday, lashed out at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has sued to halt construction of the addition. The Justice Department accused the nonprofit of being “FAKE,” labeled its attorney as “the lawyer for Barack Hussein Obama,” and claimed its staff suffers from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

The motion places unusual emphasis on the ballroom’s alleged national security necessity, citing the recent attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The filing argues:

“The fact that an assassin came mere seconds from shooting the President—along with his family, the bulk of his Cabinet, his senior staff, and the Washington press corps—lays bare that D.C. does not have a secure space for large high-profile events, or one able to ‘accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government.’”

“What he did on Saturday night could not have taken place in this new and highly secure facility!”

“As this weekend painfully confirms, all current and future Presidents need a secure large-event space now.”

The Justice Department did not explain how the ballroom would provide better security than the Washington Hilton hotel, which hosts the annual press dinner and relies on the Secret Service for protection. The hotel features a presidential entrance, a dedicated holding room with a presidential seal, and an event space accommodating over 2,600 guests—far larger than the proposed ballroom.

The filing also claims bipartisan support for the ballroom, though it cites only Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat who has aligned with MAGA policies on occasion. The motion, signed by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, repeats the White House’s claim that construction would be “free of charge to the American taxpayer.”

However, Trump has repeatedly stated the project would be funded by private donors, while simultaneously pushing Congress to approve a $400 million allocation for its construction. Several Republicans, including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, have backed the funding request, suggesting the cost could be offset by increasing national park user fees and customs duties.