Breaking News from Pod Save America - Court BLOCKS Trump’s Ballroom in Major Legal Defeat

Episode Date: August 8, 2026

A federal appeals court blocks Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom, ruling that he needs approval from Congress to move forward. Trump is already threatening to take the fight to the Supreme Court. Alex Wagner is joined by Jen Palmieri to break down the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oh, welcome to another special installment of runaway country. It has been a week. I mean, it always is. But if you thought the biggest legal fight of the last seven days was going to be about immigration or tariffs, that is incorrect. A federal appeals court just slammed the brakes on Trump's favorite of all of his vanity projects, the White House ballroom. It has turned the construction project into yet another battle over the limits of presidential power, joining me to discuss Trump's monster. Ego and monstrous real estate skills, Jennifer Palmieri. How are you, my friend? I'm so happy to see you. It's delightful to be with you. We're going to talk about,

you've been on the road finding out what is actually happening in the country as part of your excellent series on Crooked called Long Play. And I'm going to get, I want to get your sort of read on how this translates to actual American life. But first, just to spend time marinating in the swamp that is Washington, D.C., under Donald Trump. So this appeals court rules on Friday that Trump can't proceed forward with his $400 million White House ballroom attachment and said such a major alteration requires congressional approval. Trump has been saying for a while now that this ballroom renovation needs to happen for national security reasons. I believe the judge is letting him proceed with like bunker renovations, but putting in like a corporate sponsored ballroom doesn't qualify as national security.

He has 14 days to appeal this to the Supreme Court a couple hours ago. The Trump White House signaled they very much were going to do that. It is a stupid fucking idea, this whole thing. But it is Jen worth talking about because it is once again putting the issue of presidential authority and presidential limits back on the front burner over there at the Supreme Court. And I kind of wonder what your level of optimism is that John Roberts is going to maybe curb some of the presidential. executive power given a track record. I do think it matters because it also, and it's just like the perfect encapsulation

because it's all right there on the White House grounds, right? And one mile away from Congress, which has the authority to do this and should have done, you know, should be involved and should be holding them and should be holding them accountable. I don't know what I, I mean, it's just like, who is John Roberts? Because if you really, because it's a relatively, it's an

inconsequential issue for voters. Well, let's return to that in a second because... Okay. Well, we're turning that in a second, but I mean, I mean, it is not, I guess this. It is, it is inconsequential for, you know, the conservative ideology from when John Roberts comes, right? So, like, undoing the Voting Rights Act, that is important to, you know, that was like a, that is in line with ideology that John Roberts came to the Supreme Court with. But, like, helping Trump out with his ballroom is not. So if you want to, if you're like irking to kind of stick it to Trump, that could be a relatively pain-free way for the Supreme Court to do that, right?

Well, because it does feel like he's acutely aware of the political veneer of, I mean, well, the political motivations of everything the court's done, but also how it's playing. And so when given a gimme, if you will, to like to put Trump in this place, this could be that except they are such adherence of that unitary executive. theory that like the idea that they're going to say no to Trump on something other than tariffs, I guess because they all have stock portfolios and give a shit about big business and corporations, which they clearly do. This just, I don't know, maybe it's insignificant, maybe it's significant. I'm at a loss. I mean, we're not Supreme Court experts, but it'll be very interesting to see how it plays out. One thing is for sure, though, Jen, like if the Mad Kings, like palace doesn't proceed as

planned, the Mad King is going to definitely have a tantrum. I just want to refresh everybody with this video of Trump at his like most animated and engaged when he's talking about his ballroom. This is, I think, from May of this year when he gave, I don't remember which outlet. Maybe it was ABC a tour of the ballroom grounds, aka the demolition site of history. So all of this was paid for by myself. And because I keep hearing like, I'm not, we. are making a gift of this point. This is a gift. This is not going to be paid for by the taxpayer. We have a judge that thinks it's a terrible thing that we're making a gift. He said it's terrible that we're making a gift that should be paid for by the taxpayer. That's what I've never heard before. Okay. I mean, just to be clear, like what I think a lot of people have found issue with is the idea

that corporations are sponsoring the White House in what is clearly a corrupt arrangement and that both the American taxpayer and the American Congress should have a say. But Trump loves this thing. But it's also like, it's like the Qatari Air Force One. Yeah. Exactly. Which is unnavigable in hazardous situations. Right.

Like, you know, turns out you need some expertise to be, to be, you know, constructing or doing anything like around the pros of the United States. Like, you know, that kind of stuff also matters. But it does. I mean, it's this and the reflecting pool and the arch. Yes. Like, it is, I mean, you know, like you used to term mad king, but like it is, it's like that is, I mean, in some level, you know, obviously I worked in the White House for, I've worked in that building for a long time.

I can't imagine how this is too, right. And it must be gutting. Oh, it's just, yeah, it's just, yeah, it's just, and all the care that every president would, you know, and the way, you know, what you can and can't do in that house and what's restricted to, and how everybody, regardless of the party. will always follow those rules. But it feels legacy-ish, which I welcome. Any sign that he is focused on, you know, how he's going to be remembered. Right. Right. I am like, I have a high, I'm like willing to tolerate a lot of stuff in order to get to that, to get, right, to get to that point.

You're like, if this means you're leaving, then let's talk about the gilding. Yeah. Oh my God. That, I mean, they're like every day some like other like thing like tapped onto the wall from. Yes, super glued onto the wall. I mean, he is an old, he's like Ms. Havascham like bouncing around in the attic and trying to figure out like, you know, whether he's ever going to make it out of there. I mean, I do think there is, he is, I'm playing armchair psychologist in addition to armchair Supreme Court analyst. But he is loath to address his own mortality. He's, like, terrified of death and decay and decomposure, if you will. And the only way for him to really address it is through building monuments to his own ego, right?

Like, he won't, like, come to terms with his own mortality. But this is, I think, the way he expresses it is by an undue focus on gilded statues, gilded white oval offices, ballroom construction, arches, right? The reflecting pool, like, yeah, this is like, so that Washington,

he has physically and forever changed Washington. There is a physical representation that's going to be, no matter sort of which direction you look down Pennsylvania Avenue from the, you know, from where the arch is supposed to be on one end,

out towards Arlington Cemetery, which is just, that is just what, you know, eats at me the worst. To the, you know, to the White House down the other end of Pentany Avenue. Like that is, we are going to have to think of him. I mean, in some way, I feel like this presidency is going to leave a lot of marks on the Constitution, on our democracy, on trust in elections, on divisions in the country. And there's, you know, and he's going to make sure that we look in Washington.

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You've been in many, multiple White House. and things move slowly in Washington, right? So, like, just to refresh everybody down the timeline, in October of 2025, the East Wing is demolished. I mean, like, I remember first reading about this and being like, what in the fuck? December of 2025, the National Trust for Historic Preservation sues the Trump administration.

March of this year, the construction is halted. A district judge says that Trump needs Congress to sign off. In April, another appeals court says the construction is back on. and today another appeals court blocks construction. So there is like legitimate like disagreement to, I guess, suggest that the Supreme Court could and would take this up. But this, the fact that this saga is unfolding as Trump starts a war in Iran, gas prices go up, the, you know, the economy is now losing jobs.

We are losing jobs. Let 23,000 jobs last month. And then they downward. Provise numbers down. revised downwards for March and April, too, I think. Yeah. And inflation remains outpaces wage growth. Tariffs are a cluster.

You said at the top of this that you think that this doesn't matter, and I guess to voters, but I do wonder whether the idea that he's so preoccupied with this building of monuments, his ballroom funded by corporate donations to the tune of several hundred millions of dollars while Americans can't afford gas. like whether it resonates on that level, like the juxtaposition of what Trump is focused on and where their lives are at. So I know what you mean.

I think it doesn't matter, I think it doesn't matter in relation to the Supreme Court in that no one there holds the sort of ideological view that Trump should be able to tear down the White House, right? So it's like it's a gimmie for them. I had wished, I had been sort of disappointed that people don't care more about... Tell me more, because you're out there.

So, yeah, nobody brings it up. I mean, what people are upset about the war in Iran. They're upset about that. They're attaching all of their, they're saying he's not doing what he said he was going to do in terms of focusing on the economy. That's the first thing you heard. And then the second thing you hear is concern about the war in Iran. He said he's going to end all foreign wars, an understanding that that's related to gas prices going up. But then also just fear, you know, as in South Carolina, it's a big, it's a state with a lot of military families, one of the highest per capita in the country. And there's

And then you just have fear about how it's going to impact the U.S., how it's going to impact the military, if it's going to put people in harm's way. But I think, and I had wished the same thing that you do, that the gilded Oval Office, the ballroom reconstruction, $400 million, like all of the focus on the ridiculous reflecting pool would resonate more with people. But it's a sad thing. And even the corruption, well, I think it's really important to continue to call it out. And, you know, I think Senator Asoff in particular is as a sad thing. effective of this. I know you're like a watcher from like way back with that guy. He puts it in a historic context in terms of why it matters to you.

They are getting corrupt. They're bringing unlimited spending into government. And that is why, into politics. And that is, and because of that, and because they're doing all the bidding of corporations, that is why nothing is happening to solve your problems. So that's an effective argument. But unfortunately, corruption is not a surprise,

with the Trump family is not a surprise to people. And it's not that, so people sort of become a nerd to it. So even though you would think that him focus on the ballroom and not on you is going to break through a lot, it's not. But part of the reason why it's not is because there's just facts of people's economic lives that are so dire that they don't need to understand that he's, they already know he's not focused on them. They're like, we know. They know. We know. We don't need you to point out the stupid ballroom. They're like, I'm good. I was listening to Alex Tabit from MS Now interviewed someone who was like, yeah, as far as Trump, I'm good. I've had enough.

And it's like, that's kind of where everyone's at, right? They're like, yeah, oh, oh, really? The ballroom. That's who he's been focused on? I'm good. I got it. I got it. I got it, guys. So you will appreciate this. I was driving last week, I guess, from Cosby, Tennessee to Nashville. And I pass a Trump superstore on the side of the highway. And I was like, oh, God, it's enormous, right? And then right next to it, a full story high is a billboard that says going out of business sale. Amazing. And there you have it, ladies and gents. And there you have it. I called Gina, our producer right away, to be like, did you get the Trump Super

store on your camera? She's like, yes, yes. We got the going out of business. Yes. That's exactly what it is. I mean, that was, it was really, yeah, I thought it was quite poignant. Yeah. So you're telling me, and I will just remind everybody, part of the reason that you are on the road is because of the excellent reporting, the great journalism that is happening as part of Longplay, which is your series. that is going to be is airing in conjunction with the crooked on YouTube. And you're in Tennessee where, of course, there was a primary this week, the first time Tennessee voters have gone to the

polls since the Voting Rights Act was effectively dismantled. This will be the first general where, you know, voters of color have been systematically disenfranchised, not for the first time, but most recently by the Supreme Court. And you're telling me that the corruption message, I'm hearing two things. One, it's not that it's not working. it's just that people got it. People don't need it. They don't need an extra reason. You don't need to pile on with like,

but he's focused on the ballroom because, and I think in some ways, I think that kind of pisses people off because it is, you know, I think that it feels, it feels like a political attack, right? It's like, it's like, it's like, I don't need you to tell me that things are,

like I am going to believe, I am going to turn away from Trump or, you know, or not be as supportive as him because of how I know that he is impacting my life. Yeah. And I don't want some Democrat to tell me that I need to be upset with them because he's focused on the ballroom. Got it. So, like, I feel like it's like that. And one thing that's sort of positive in general that I feel like I'm seeing is, you know, one friend of mine was like,

are you saying there's a return to critical thinking? and you're like, no, no, no, not that. I mean, I don't want to go that far. I don't want to go that far. You know, me? I'm like, I'm sort of naturally an optimist. So I had to rein myself in. But it is kind of like, I do hear people say more, like, I know and I've experienced.

And in my life, when they're talking about reasons that they feel like they're no longer supporting Trump or they're turning away from supporting Republicans, not while I heard or I saw online or something like that. They feel. They feel it. And it's in their own experience. And that seems good. Yeah, that's the best.

Hey, that is in a bad situation. That's the best possible outcome. Like they know it and they feel it and they don't actually need any more data. I will just say, as my last point, the saga of this insanity does not do. just end at the White House. It will extend as it has to the Department of Justice where it looks like, as of this recording, Todd Blanche is going to be confirmed as the Attorney General, who and Todd Blanche as the acting attorney general, I believe, took dictation from Donald Trump when the DOJ made their last filing in this case to the judge where I just want to refresh

people's memory. The language in this filing was literally cut and pasted from a truth social. This is just a little amuse bouch of the bat-shit language that was in the last filing. The plaintiff, in this case, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which again is not a government agency of any type, never once denies that its lawsuit here is motivated by an irrational desire to stop anything associated with President Donald J. Trump, which even Democrat elected officials have labeled as Trump derangement syndrome. or TDS. Because it is Donald Trump, a highly successful real estate developer who has abilities that others don't, especially those who assume the office of president, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, this frivolous and meritless lawsuit was filed. Again, it's called all caps, Trump derangement syndrome. That's when Blanche was the acting attorney general. This is in the filing. This is the actual. This is the file.

This is the file. It makes, what was, who was the woman that was, did his, uh, criminal cases? I don't know. But like, it makes her look like it. Lindsay, Lindsay, no, Lindsay Buckingham. No, I know. That's the one. That's the one who did the criminal case, tried to do the case against Letitia James.

I'm talking about the woman who represented Trump in court, like in 24 and 23 when he was, like Hobb, something like that. Anyway, remember her? Alina Haba? Alina Haba, yeah. It's like that looks like it makes her look like a genius. Yeah. Yeah.

This is, but this is the fucking garbage that we are going to see more of as they petition the Supreme Court of the United States of America. That's it, Jen. She's mortifying. It's just, it's mortifying. It's like more defined to even just be alive. Can you imagine if Eric Holder had filed that shit on behalf of Barack Obama and then was an acting attorney judge?

By the way, this did not. come up at his hearing. This did not even come up at Todd Blanche's hearing. There was too much. There was too much. I'm also fascinated with what, with, like, wanting to know what went down with Janine Piro, when she came in with her box, when she came into the White House with this huge box of evidence of, like, how the pool was all their fault. And I just love, like, just imagine how frustrated, how pent up, like all the pent-up, like, frustration she's got about how she's been treated and how stupid everything is and all the stuff that she's been tolerating to, like, go on television and defend everything that these people do, and then to finally, like, let lose

with her box of evidence at the White House and probably get fired. Don't, yeah, right, because she choked. Don't be the lawyer that stands in the way of Donald Trump in one of his vanity projects. Message to you, Janine Piro. Message to you. Todd Blanche. Jennifer Palmieri, my friend, what times we live in, what times we live in? what times we live in

if you are not watching Jen do some real reporting on authentically important topics go watch long play because I don't know what you're doing and if you're not subscribed to this YouTube channel what are you doing? What are you doing?

You get this kind of stuff. It's the most important region in politics it's driving our politics nothing stays contained to the south and that's like the theory behind the episodes to understand. That is, I think it is the right theory. Plus, like, the food's so good. I'm so jealous that you get to go and report from there.

There's a lot of, there's been a lot of good biscuits, Alex. Yeah. Some cheesy grids in Charleston this morning. God bless. All right. Thank you all for listening. Namaste. Jen, it's great to see you. I hope I see you over biscuits and grits sometimes soon. Mmm. Delicious. A little gravy, too.