Social Media Erupts After DOJ Says Donald Trump Could Bulldoze Statue Of Liberty Because Of
The Department of Justice sparked a huge reaction online after a lawyer representing the Trump administration made a controversial argument during a court hearing on Friday.
The case focused on a legal challenge against the construction of Donald Trump’s planned $400 million ballroom project. A preservation group, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is trying to stop the development, arguing that it could harm an important historic site.
During the hearing, U.S. Attorney Yaakov Roth argued that the preservation group did not have the legal right to sue. According to him, if people wanted to stop the project, they should have taken action before demolition work began. He suggested that once construction equipment and bulldozers are already at work, it may be too late for legal challenges.
Judge Patricia Millett questioned that argument and raised concerns about what it could mean in more extreme situations. She asked Roth whether the same logic would apply if the government suddenly decided to demolish a famous national landmark such as the Statue of Liberty.
The judge pointed out that many Americans have a deep personal and emotional connection to the statue. For countless immigrant families, it was the first symbol of America their ancestors saw when arriving in the country. She wondered whether citizens would have any legal way to stop the destruction if the government acted quickly enough.
Roth replied that, under the reasoning he was presenting, the answer would essentially be no.
Although Judge Millett was using the Statue of Liberty only as a hypothetical example to test the limits of the legal argument, Roth’s response quickly caught the attention of people online. Many social media users were stunned by the exchange and accused the government lawyer of taking an extreme position.
The clip spread rapidly across social media platforms, with critics arguing that such a legal theory could make it much harder for citizens and organizations to challenge government actions involving historic landmarks and public treasures.
Among those reacting was Fox News commentator Jessica Tarlov, who reportedly expressed disbelief at the argument and said those advancing it were “out of their minds.”
The exchange has since become a major talking point online, with supporters and critics debating whether the government’s legal position was a reasonable interpretation of the law or an example of taking legal arguments too far.
