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Supreme Court Has Not Scheduled Hearing on White House East Wing Demolition
A false claim circulating widely on social media alleges that the U.S. Supreme Court has set a hearing date regarding President Donald Trump’s demolition of the White House East Wing. According to the viral rumor, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case after the National Trust for Historic Preservation purportedly filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Trump for violating federal environmental and heritage protection laws.
The claim, which began spreading in early November, has no basis in fact. The Supreme Court has not scheduled any hearings related to the East Wing demolition, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation has confirmed it has not filed any lawsuit against the president.
“Nothing about the rumor is true. We don’t have any lawsuit against Trump regarding the East Wing demolition. And we’re not doing anything involving the figure $10 billion,” said Elliot Carter, a spokesperson for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in an email response.
The false narrative gained traction primarily through social media platforms including Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter). The nearly identical wording across platforms suggests a coordinated misinformation campaign: “BREAKING: The Supreme Court sets a hearing date for Donald Trump’s alleged illegal demolition of the White House East Wing after the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a $10 billion lawsuit against him for violating federal environmental and heritage protection laws.”
The rumor appears to have originated from AI-generated videos posted by accounts with names like “Breaking News” on Facebook and TikTok in early November. One Facebook video, which garnered over one million views, featured the caption “URGENT NEWS: Supreme Court Sets Hearing Date for White House East Wing Demolition.” The video combined AI-generated courtroom scenes depicting judges supposedly reprimanding Trump with authentic footage of Chief Justice John Roberts and the actual East Wing demolition.
Adding fuel to the misinformation fire, several ad-filled WordPress blogs subsequently published AI-generated articles claiming the Supreme Court had scheduled the hearing. These articles displayed telltale signs of artificial intelligence authorship, beginning with dramatic phrases like “In a stunning legal development” and concluding with speculative statements about “one of the most consequential preservation cases in modern American history.”
The fabricated news story exploited genuine public interest in Trump’s controversial decision to demolish the East Wing to make way for a new ballroom. In July, Trump had claimed the ballroom construction wouldn’t “interfere with the current building” – a statement contradicted by the subsequent demolition that was completed in October.
While the lawsuit claim is false, the National Trust for Historic Preservation did express legitimate concerns about the demolition. In October, the organization published a letter stating it was “deeply concerned” about the East Wing project and requested that construction be paused to allow officials to review plans for Trump’s proposed ballroom.
This incident highlights a growing trend of misinformation spread through AI-generated content. Search engines have inadvertently amplified the false narrative, with Bing’s AI-generated search results citing one of the unreliable WordPress blogs as a source, incorrectly validating the claim.
The fabricated Supreme Court story follows a pattern similar to other recent AI-generated misinformation campaigns, including false reports about the Texas flash floods in July 2025, where content creators from various countries attempted to capitalize on breaking news events with sensationalist, fabricated stories surrounded by advertisements.
As demolition of the East Wing has already been completed, any legal challenges would be addressing actions already taken rather than preventing the demolition itself.
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11 Comments
Appreciate the Disinformation Commission’s diligent work in investigating and correcting this unfounded rumor. Maintaining the integrity of public information is vital for a healthy democracy.
Interesting to see the Supreme Court getting involved in this East Wing demolition claim. Curious to hear more details if the case does end up getting a hearing date.
This sounds like another example of unfounded claims spreading rapidly on social media. It’s good the National Trust for Historic Preservation has debunked the $10 billion lawsuit allegation.
It’s disappointing to see how quickly unverified information can gain traction on social media. Rigorous fact-checking is essential to maintain an informed public discourse.
The lack of a scheduled hearing on this issue is not surprising, given the lack of substance behind the viral rumor. Fact-checking is important to avoid spreading misinformation.
While the prospect of the Supreme Court weighing in on a potential East Wing demolition may seem intriguing, this particular rumor appears to be completely fabricated. Appreciate the diligent fact-checking.
The lack of a scheduled Supreme Court hearing on this issue is hardly surprising, given the clear lack of substance behind the viral claim. Fact-checking is essential to combat the spread of misinformation.
The Supreme Court has enough on its plate without having to address fictional claims about the White House East Wing. Glad to see this misinformation is being promptly corrected.
While the idea of the Supreme Court weighing in on a White House demolition may seem intriguing, this particular claim appears to be completely fabricated. Good to see it promptly refuted.
Kudos to the Disinformation Commission for thoroughly investigating this claim and setting the record straight. It’s crucial that we rely on credible sources, not unsubstantiated online rumors.
I’m curious to learn more about the motivations behind this specific disinformation campaign. What could be the end goal of spreading such a blatantly false narrative?