It might seem strange to say that Chief Justice John Roberts’s decision to allow construction of Donald Trump’s ballroom to continue is a win for Democrats, but it truly is. Let’s break down why.
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Democrats often point out that the Supreme Court’s conservative majority frequently overlooks the Constitution and established precedents to serve Donald Trump and the GOP. This includes actions like dismantling the Voting Rights Act, which made room for racist gerrymandering, or protecting the president from legal consequences. However, on Friday, Chief Justice John Roberts did Democrats a favor by permitting construction on Trump’s ballroom to go ahead-at least for now.
This may sound contradictory at first, but stay with us.
The president’s odd obsession with this ballroom actually benefits Democrats. They shouldn’t want it shut down just yet. After all, the East Wing has already been demolished, and putting a stop to construction could lead Trump to halt his talks about installing fancy chandeliers and selecting marble finishes.
Every time he mentions it, Democrats get another chance to highlight that taxpayers are footing most of this bill, which was originally meant to be covered by donors (in what was already a questionable setup) at a cost of $200 million.
Since then, costs have surged, project scope has expanded significantly, and Americans are expected to pay much more than anticipated-which isn’t surprising given that the ballroom is quite unpopular.
Consequently, halting construction would have been akin to telling Trump he couldn’t lie about lowering prices or claiming victory in the Iran war.
All these remarks effectively serve as contributions in kind for Democratic candidates who should want an historically unpopular president like Trump to keep making these statements as frequently as possible.
On Friday alone, he mentioned the ballroom five times; just last week he shared some AI-generated content showing him giving George Washington a tour of it.
Certainly, politically savvy advice would suggest that Trump should drop this construction project. But his fixation on the ballroom makes it clear that’s not going to happen anytime soon.
This leads us to believe Republicans might have hoped behind closed doors that the Supreme Court would put an end to it all.
At least they’ve managed to persuade Trump into slightly shifting his narrative around this project.
Initially touted solely as a ballroom project, the White House changed its approach when faced with uncertainty about its future by emphasizing national security aspects instead.
Trump reiterated this angle when he praised Roberts’s decision allowing construction after an appeals court had previously ordered a stop just days prior.
“We are grateful for the Decision of the United States Supreme Court. The Military/Ballroom Complex being built on the hallowed grounds of the White House, which is so vital for National Security, will be THE GREATEST OF ITS KIND!” Trump wrote on his social media page. “It is something that Presidents have wanted for 150 years, and that the Military has been seeking for the last 100 years. Their wish will soon be fulfilled! Construction is under budget and ahead of schedule.”
Needless to say, it is not under budget.
The claim of being ahead of schedule seems misleading too; while the White House asserts it’s 65 percent complete now, completion isn’t expected until 2028-meaning there’s still plenty of time for Trump to keep talking about it.
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