A U.S. appeals court ordered a halt to construction of a massive ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing of the White House, ruling that the president lacks the authority for the project without congressional approval.
A U.S. federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., on Friday ordered President Donald Trump's administration to halt construction of a $400 million ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing of the White House. In a split 2-1 decision, the court upheld a preliminary injunction sought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, dealing a significant blow to the Republican leader in a case that tests the limits of his presidential authority.
The court stayed its ruling for 14 days, leaving the Trump administration the option to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. In the meantime, all work on the ballroom, except that necessary for safety and security, must cease.
In a sharply worded opinion, the appeals court judges emphasized that the president does not own the White House. "Every president is a temporary tenant, not an owner, of the White House and its Executive Residence. The president has no-and does not claim to have-constitutionally assigned authority over that property, which is designed and maintained for the use of all presidents, present and future, and the American people," the judges wrote.
The decision came after the administration last year demolished the East Wing and began construction of an 8,360-square-meter ballroom without seeking congressional approval. The National Trust for Historic Preservation then filed a lawsuit, sparking a legal battle that culminated in today's ruling.
Trump appealed after U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, appointed by former Republican President George W. Bush, twice blocked above-ground work at the site, allowing only underground work to continue. Leon ruled that no federal law "even remotely gives the president" the necessary authority to build the ballroom without congressional approval.
During arguments before the appeals court on June 5, 2026, Justice Department attorney Jacob Roth argued that courts have no role in assessing the privately funded project and that the National Trust's "architectural preference" should not outweigh national security concerns. Roth presented evidence that the old East Wing left the president and others in the White House vulnerable to attack. In response, preservation attorney Thaddeus Heuer countered: "They simply don't want to go to Congress."
Trump defended the project and its cost, which has doubled from initial estimates. On his social media platform Truth Social last month, he said the cost rose because the ballroom is "roughly twice as large and far higher quality than the original proposal," promising it "will be magnificent, secure, and protected."
The ballroom project is the most ambitious in a series of Trump's moves to reshape the landscape of government buildings and national monuments in downtown Washington. In a separate court case, a judge recently ruled that Trump's name was illegally added to the facade of the Kennedy Center and ordered its removal.
