There was already a sense that President Donald Trump was badly misreading the moment — that his priorities had slipped so far out of alignment with the country’s mood that the disconnect was becoming impossible to ignore.
Then he logged onto Truth Social and started raging about his ballroom.
US President Donald Trump arrives to take part in a dedication ceremony for Southern Boulevard, in the ballroom at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 16, 2026. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)
The outburst came as Minnesota reeled from the killing of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti, who was shot by federal agents during an anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis, and as a punishing winter storm locked down much of the country.
While scrutiny intensified around federal enforcement tactics and families braced for prolonged power outages, Trump chose to spend his Sunday morning warning that a lawsuit threatening construction of a lavish White House ballroom would be “devastating.”
“Halting the Ballroom would be devastating to the White House, our Country, and all concerned,” Trump wrote, pinning the post to the top of his feed.
The message quickly ballooned into a grievance-soaked rant, casting the ballroom as an urgent national necessity and himself as its lone champion.
Trump insisted the structure — a $300 million-to-$400 million project — was a “gift” the country had supposedly waited more than a century to receive, framing its construction as inseparable from national pride, security, and the functioning of the presidency itself.
To be clear:
Billionaires and corporations aren’t donating to build the American people a ballroom.
Billionaires and corporations are bribing Trump, with a ballroom for his donor parties being the public-facing cover. pic.twitter.com/XSIE3VNV1y
“Congress never tried, or wanted, to stop the Ballroom Project!” Trump wrote, brushing aside the central legal challenge against him.
He warned that the lawsuit had arrived too late to matter, declaring, “IT IS TOO LATE!” and listing off ordered materials as if inventory alone should override oversight. He emphasized features meant to elevate the ballroom from luxury to necessity — bulletproof glass, anti-drone roofing, and enhanced security measures — all while presenting the project as indispensable to the American people.
But buried inside the tirade was the line that instantly changed the stakes for some of his critics that fed into the growing suspisicion that the premise behind the East Wing demolition was only a cover. A recent report from CNN revealing the expected construction of the a state of the art bunker, sent conspiracies spiraling.
A dangerous secret remains hidden: The Trump administration rebuilds a “secret bunker” beneath the East Wing of the White House. pic.twitter.com/AVwvTGuSIJ
“Additionally, in this instance, it is being done with the design, consent, and approval of the highest levels of the United States Military and Secret Service,” Trump wrote. “The mere bringing of this ridiculous lawsuit has already, unfortunately, exposed this heretofore Top Secret fact.”
Online, the reaction was swift and merciless.
“The bringing of this lawsuit has exposed previously concealed information,” one Threads user noted. “Sue, baby, sue!”
Another went straight to the accusation, “It’s not just a ballroom. It’s a bunker and communication center that will be protecting this racist regime. Get the facts. ALL the facts.”
Others were far blunter about Trump’s priorities. “American citizens are being slaughtered by ICE and he whines about his stupid ballroom?” one commenter wrote.
One critic on Threads noted: “The most heartless hateful narcissistic human being that ever walked this earth.”
Another response cut straight to the point, “What he did was illegal. I have no sympathy whatsoever. He wasted money and destroyed history.”
NEW: A federal judge in Washington, D.C., is hearing arguments this afternoon in a lawsuit aimed at stopping Trump's plan to build a ballroom.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation claims that "no president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House… pic.twitter.com/POMCg0CbKT
One user zeroed in on Trump’s troubling admission on the use of the space: “‘Already scheduled inaugurations’ — he’s talking about himself, right?”
The lawsuit itself, filed in December by the National Trust for Historic Preservation is seeking to halt the ballroom by arguing that Trump violated federal review requirements and bypassed Congress when it ordered the demolition of the White House’s historic East Wing. The group contends that federal law bars construction on federal parkland without explicit congressional approval.
Trump rejected that argument outright in his post, insisting lawmakers had no role to play. “Congress never tried, or wanted, to stop the Ballroom Project!” he claimed.
The legal fight sharpened Friday when U.S. District Judge Richard Leon questioned whether the president had the authority to dismantle the East Wing without oversight and rebuked a government lawyer who compared the project to minor past renovations.
“Come on, be serious,” the judge said, after the lawyer cited the installation of a swimming pool during the Gerald Ford administration. Leon said he would rule in the coming weeks on whether to issue a preliminary injunction stopping construction.
The criticisms for Trump’s rant landed as the nation was gripped by Winter Storm Fern, a massive system that brought heavy snow and freezing rain from Arizona to New England, affecting 34 states and roughly 220 million people. NOAA warned of “catastrophic” ice accumulation in parts of the South, widespread power outages, and travel conditions expected to remain dangerous for days.
NEW – Obama calls on "every American" to "support and draw inspiration from" Minneapolis' anti-ICE protests to "hold our government accountable." pic.twitter.com/JTM2Egcrmj
At the same time, condemnation of the Minneapolis shooting poured in from across the political spectrum. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama called Pretti’s death “a heartbreaking tragedy” and “a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party.” Bill Clinton urged Americans to speak out, saying the country was facing a defining moment and needed to “show that our nation still belongs to we the people.”
Calls for an investigation poured in from Republicans, including Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts, as well as the NRA and other pro-gun groups. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz directly appealed to Trump to pull federal agents from the state, asking him to “please show some decency.”
