[Herald Economy = Reporter Kim Young-chul] A U.S. court has put a brake on U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a large banquet hall in the White House by raising $400 million (600 billion won) in personal donations.
According to the Washington Post and other U.S. media, U.S. Federal District Judge Richard Lyon ordered the suspension of construction on the 31st (local time), rejecting President Trump's claim that he had the authority to repair the White House, including the renovation of the banquet hall, without congressional approval.
Judge Leon said in a 35-page ruling, "The President of the United States is the manager of the White House for the family of the future president, not the owner!" and pointed out, "There is no law that regulates the authority that President Trump claims."
He also took issue with the removal of the White House building last year without congressional approval, adding that President Trump should present the ground law.
President Trump demolished the White House building in October last year and started construction, saying that he would build a large banquet hall that can accommodate 1,000 people. The reason was that the existing White House banquet hall, which seats about 200 people, was too small. It also reflected President Trump's personal preference for large and colorful banquets.
The Trump administration argued that it does not need congressional approval or funding allocation because it only needs to cover construction costs with corporate and individual donations, and the National Association for the Preservation of History (NTHP) filed a lawsuit demanding the suspension of construction.
Immediately after the ruling, President Trump complained, calling the NTHP a "leftist fanatic group."
He posted a post on Truth Social on social media, accusing it of being sued for trying to build a better building than any other banquet hall in the world without paying taxes. Taking issue with NTHP's lawsuit against the remodeling of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, he argued that he would not file a lawsuit against Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's renovation of the Fed building.
김영철 yckim6452@heraldcorp.com
Trump, suffering from the “monarch’s disease” of failing to distinguish between public duty and private interest, was stopped by the court.
It is truly regrettable to wonder when Americans will be able to recover from this “monarch’s disease.”
In our own country, nearly 30 percent suffer from the same illness, which makes it all the more concerning.