Donald Trump refuses to say whether Ohio Republican Max Miller should step aside by tomorrow – US politics live

Donald Trump called the decision to halt construction of his $400m White House ballroom a “National Security Threat at the highest level” in a post on Truth Social.

“We are not tenants, who pay rent and do all other things that a tenant must do, we are PRESIDENTS, elected by the people of the United States of America, and have many rights, including the right to fix, renovate, secure, protect, and beautify the White House grounds,” Trump wrote. “This decision, made after much of the work has been done and paid for, is a National Security Threat at the highest level.”

Earlier today, a US federal appeals court sided with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction of the 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom, which he has repeatedly labeled as “a gift” to the US people.

The order upheld a preliminary injunction won by the National Trust for Historic ⁠Preservation. The group sued last year after the Trump administration tore down the historic East Wing and began building a ballroom without seeking authorization from Congress.

The appeals court put ⁠its ruling on hold for two weeks to allow the administration to appeal to the ​US supreme court.

District court judge Richard Leon had said in a March opinion that any construction work left incomplete, although it poses concerns regarding the “safety and security of the White House grounds and the President himself, the existence of a ‘large hole’ beside the White House is, of course, a problem of the President’s own making.”