{"text":[[{"start":8.8,"text":"Donald Trump and his Republican supporters have seized on this weekend’s assassination attempt to reinvigorate the president’s $400mn White House ballroom project, with some calling for it to be funded with public money. "}],[{"start":22.8,"text":"The Department of Justice late on Monday called on a federal court to “dissolve” an order that last month halted construction of the 90,000 sq ft structure until Congress approved the project. An appeals court has allowed the building to proceed while the case continues and set a hearing for June."}],[{"start":40.900000000000006,"text":"Acting attorney-general Todd Blanche and other DoJ officials wrote in a court filing: “Presidents need a secure space for large events, that currently does not exist in Washington, DC, and this court’s injunction stalling this project cannot defensibly continue, for the sake of the safety of President Trump, future presidents and their families, cabinets and staff.” "}],[{"start":62.00000000000001,"text":"The filing slammed the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which brought the lawsuit, accusing the group of suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome” — a phrase widely used by the White House to attack opponents. "}],[{"start":74.45,"text":"“They are trying to stop [a project] that is vital to our national security,” the filing added. "}],[{"start":80.75,"text":"In the wake of Saturday’s shooting, some Republican members of Congress have called for the US government to foot the bill. "}],[{"start":87.75,"text":"Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who strongly backs the president, said Congress should appropriate $400mn for the ballroom — including building “military stuff” below and a Secret Service annex — offset through customs fees. Republican senators Katie Britt and Eric Schmitt have backed Graham’s proposal. "}],[{"start":107.8,"text":"Other Republicans, including Senator Rick Scott, say they prefer private donations, citing the yawning government budget deficit. "}],[{"start":115.95,"text":"The latest push to build the luxury gold and white ballroom comes after the justice department charged Cole Allen, 31, with attempting to assassinate Trump at the White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday after he fired his weapon inside a Hilton hotel, where the event was being held."}],[{"start":133.55,"text":"Federal judge Richard Leon halted construction of the ballroom in March after the NTHP challenged its legality. Large swaths of the White House’s east wing have been demolished to make way for the vast building, which Trump has said would include top secret military installations as well as a drone-proof roof and bulletproof glass."}],[{"start":153.15,"text":"Shortly after the attack on Saturday evening, Trump told reporters, “We need the ballroom. That’s why Secret Service, that’s why the military are demanding it. They’ve wanted the ballroom for 150 years for lots of different reasons, but today’s a little bit different because today we need levels of security that probably nobody’s ever seen before.”"}],[{"start":174.45000000000002,"text":"Other top officials including Blanche and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt have echoed the president’s remarks. "}],[{"start":183.4,"text":"Trump has raised millions to fund the new ballroom, tapping his campaign donors as well as companies in the tech, defence, tobacco and cryptocurrency sectors. "}],[{"start":193.35,"text":"Senior Democratic senator Chuck Schumer is among those who have sharply criticised the project. On Tuesday he called the ballroom a distraction from a funding impasse in Congress that has led the Department of Homeland Security to be largely shut down since mid-February."}],[{"start":210.15,"text":"Schumer said in a post on X: “As our nation wages Donald Trump’s reckless war, DHS is still not funded because the President’s own party is in total chaos. Instead, Trump decides to focus on a $400mn, taxpayer-funded, gold-plated ballroom.”"}],[{"start":226.9,"text":"The NTHP has said it will not “voluntarily” dismiss the lawsuit and that “lawfully” building the ballroom requires Congress’s approval."}],[{"start":237.25,"text":"Carol Quillen, chief executive of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said: “We’re grateful to the Secret Service and DC law enforcement officers for keeping the president and all guests safe at this weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.”"}],[{"start":251.7,"text":"“We are not planning to voluntarily dismiss our lawsuit, which endangers no one and which respectfully asks the administration to follow the law. Ballroom construction is continuing unabated until June 5 at the earliest because the injunction is on hold.”"}],[{"start":266.95,"text":"Additional reporting by Claire Jones"}],[{"start":275.9,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1777431797_3652.mp3"}