Trump posts image of fortified ‘drone port’ atop White House ballroom in rebuke to judges

A fortified rooftop with what looks like drone defenses is a strange way to say "I'm still building my ballroom," but that's Trump for you. Tell him no and he doesn't argue the legal merits in a press release, he posts a picture. It's theater, sure, but it's also a pretty clear message to the judges who told him to pump the brakes: this isn't stopping, and I'll show you exactly how not-stopping it is.

The underlying dispute is real, though, and worth separating from the stunt. A panel says he needs congressional sign-off before continuing construction on his own house's grounds, which is not a crazy thing for a court to say given how these approval processes usually work. Presidents don't get to treat the White House like a personal renovation project just because they occupy it for four or eight years. That building outlasts every administration, and the process exists precisely so no one guy gets to unilaterally reshape it.

But there's something almost admirable, in a chaotic way, about Trump refusing to pretend the ruling changed his plans. Most politicians would quietly shelve the images and let lawyers handle it. He put the blueprints on Twitter instead, drone port and all, as if daring anyone to stop him. It's needlessly provocative and probably counterproductive with the very judges he needs to eventually persuade. Still, you have to admit it's honest in its own way. He's not hiding what he wants to do. He's just betting that showing you is more effective than asking permission.