A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
A nonprofit is suing to stop the work on a project that President Trump wants finished before leaving office. Critics argue his 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom is too big and that he's moving too fast without the proper approvals. NPR senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith reports.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: President Trump's approach to the White House ballroom project is in line with how he's handling many things in his second term. Act first, claim ultimate authority and fight the inevitable lawsuits when they come. The entire east wing of the White House was torn down in October to make way for the ballroom, sparking public outcry. At the time, the White House said they didn't need approval yet because it was just demolition. Now there are cranes and loud equipment working on the White House grounds, something Trump boasted about at a recent Cabinet meeting.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: To me I love this sound. I wouldn't say my wife is thrilled.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: She hears pile drivers in the background all day, all night. They go till 12 o'clock in the evening. Day, night, pile drivers. Darling, could you turn off the pile drivers?
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Sorry, darling, that's progress.
KEITH: The White House says the ballroom will be fully funded by private donations. A new architect was recently brought on as Trump's ambitions for the project grew. Still, no plans have been submitted to the commissions that normally oversee this kind of project. And on Friday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed suit. Carol Quillen is the group's president and CEO.
CAROL QUILLEN: All we ask is that construction be halted until these legally mandated processes are complete.
KEITH: She says they felt they had no choice but to sue, and there's real urgency given the ongoing work.
QUILLEN: What is happening now could foreclose meaningful review? Because once the footprint of the building is established through preliminary construction, ongoing construction, whatever you want to call it, once that footprint is established, it's really hard to change the project.
KEITH: An initial court hearing on the trust's request for a restraining order is scheduled for tomorrow. White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement that, quote, "President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate and beautify the White House - just as all of his predecessors did."
Tamara Keith, NPR News, the White House. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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