Donald Trump has threatened a US judge who opposed the construction of his “drone empire” on top of the planned $400m White House ballroom, as the project has hit a speed bump in Congress.
In a Truth Social post on Sunday about his proposed DronePort project, the US president warned Judge Richard Leon not to play “games with America’s Security” and added: “If anything happens, he will be held responsible for the Death and Destruction caused to our Country.”
Last month, Judge Leon halted construction of the above-ground portion of Trump’s White House ballroom project. The judge wrote in his ruling at the time that Congress must approve the project, adding that Trump appeared to be trying to side-step a previous court order by framing the ballroom plans as vital for national security.
View 2 ImagesTrump says DronePort is needed for national security(Image: Win McNamee, Getty Images)
On Sunday, Trump reiterated the need for the project, saying the DronePort will be the “most sophisticated anywhere in the World” and will “safeguard our Nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C., long into the future”.
He added: “With the advent of highly sophisticated, and powerful, modern day weaponry, we can no longer defend Washington, D.C., with rifles and pistols, alone.”
Trump also raged against an unnamed woman whose lawsuit is challenging the project, calling her “a highly litigious woman (serial plaintiff!)” with “absolutely no STANDING” and demanding the case “be dismissed, IMMEDIATELY”.
Earlier this week, Trump spoke to reporters at the construction site of the ballroom. “On top of the roof we’re going to have the greatest drone empire that you’ve ever seen, and it is going to protect Washington,” he said on Tuesday.
Article continues below
In late March, Judge Leon temporarily halted the construction project after the White House was sued by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.