Judge orders White House ballroom construction to halt in a ruling that
leaves Trump seething
[April 01, 2026]
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and WILL WEISSERT
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump
administration to suspend construction of a $400 million ballroom it
demolished the East Wing of the White House to make space for, barring
work from proceeding without congressional approval.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a preservationist
group’s request for a preliminary injunction that temporarily halts
President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project. He concluded that
the National Trust for Historic Preservation is likely to succeed on the
merits of its claims because “no statute comes close to giving the
President the authority he claims to have.”
“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House
for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the
owner!” wrote Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican
President George W. Bush.
The White House quickly filed a notice to appeal while Trump fumed at
the ruling. “We built many things at the White House over the years.
They don't get congressional approval," he told reporters in the Oval
Office a short time later.
The ruling was the first major rebuke of Trump’s sweeping efforts to
overhaul the White House. But it wasn’t immediately clear what it would
mean for a sprawling project in which crews have long since torn down
the East Wing, radically transforming the look and feel of the historic
grounds.
The judge's decision came two days before the National Capital Planning
Commission, the agency that signs off on construction on federal
property in the Washington region, is expected to approve the addition.
Stephen Staudigl, a spokesperson for the commission, said the judge’s
ruling does not affect the schedule for Thursday.
Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic
Preservation, which filed the lawsuit prompting Leon's ruling, said, “We
are pleased with Judge Leon’s ruling today to order a halt to any
further ballroom construction until the Administration complies with the
law and obtains express authorization to go forward."
”This is a win for the American people on a project that forever impacts
one of the most beloved and iconic places in our nation,” Quillen said
in a statement. The group had sued in hopes of obtaining an order
pausing the ballroom project until it undergoes multiple independent
reviews and receives congressional approval.
The judge acknowledged the complication of stopping work in progress
Leon suspended enforcement of his order for 14 days, acknowledging that
the case “raises novel and weighty issues, that halting an ongoing
construction project may raise logistical issues.” He also recognized
that the administration would appeal his decision.
The judge ruled that any construction work that's necessary to ensure
the safety and security of the White House is exempt from the scope of
the injunction. Leon said he reviewed material that the government
privately submitted to him before concluding that halting construction
wouldn't jeopardize national security.
Trump noted that the ruling will allow work on underground bunkers and
other security measures around the White House grounds to continue —
even though those will be paid for by taxpayers, not the private donors
and by Trump himself whom the president has promised will cover the cost
of the ballroom.
The Republican president brought handwritten notes into the Oval Office
that referenced that part of the ruling, saying, “It talks about we’re
allowed to continue building.”
He then offered an exhaustive list of what's being done to enhance
security while the ballroom is built.
“The roof is droneproof. We have secure air-handling systems. You know,
bad things happen in the air if you have bad people,” the president
said. “We have bio-defense all over. We have secure telecommunications
and communications all over. We have bomb shelters that we’re building.
We have a hospital and very major medical facilities that we’re
building.”
He added, “Think of that for the safety of the president,” and said the
ruling means “on that, we’re OK.”
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Construction cranes being used for the White House ballroom are seen
around the White House, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP
Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Trump launched the project quickly, catching the public off-guard
The White House announced the ballroom project over the summer. By
late October, Trump had demolished the East Wing for a
90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom he said would fit
999 people.
Trump proceeded with the project before seeking input from the
National Capital Planning Commission and another oversight entity,
the Commission of Fine Arts. Trump has stocked both commissions with
allies. The trust sued in December.
On Feb. 26, Leon rejected the preservationist group’s initial bid to
temporarily halt the ballroom’s construction. He said the privately
funded group had based its challenge on a “ragtag group” of legal
theories and would have a better chance of success if it amended the
lawsuit, which it did.
The administration has said above-ground construction on the
ballroom would begin in April.
“We are two weeks away,” plaintiffs’ attorney Thaddeus Heuer said
during a March 17 hearing. “The imminence is now imminent.”
During the hearing, Leon sounded skeptical of what he referred to as
the government’s “shifting theories and shifting dynamics” for its
arguments in the case.
“I don’t think it’s a new theory,” Justice Department attorney Jacob
Roth told the judge.
Leon expressed frustration at Roth’s attempts to equate the massive
ballroom project with relatively modest construction work at the
White House under previous administrations.
“This is an iconic symbol of this nation,” the judge said.
The administration argued that other presidents didn’t need
congressional approval for previous White House renovation projects,
large and small.
“Many of those projects were highly controversial in their time yet
have since become accepted — even beloved — parts of the White
House,” government attorneys wrote.
The project is another attempt by Trump to remake Washington
Leon in his ruling rejected the administration's claim that Congress
gave the president virtually unilateral authority to construct
anything on federal land in Washington, regardless of the funding
source.
“This clearly is not how Congress and former Presidents have managed
the White House for centuries, and this Court will not be the first
to hold that Congress has ceded its powers in such a significant
fashion!” the judge wrote.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has frequently boasted
about leaving a lasting mark on the building and the presidency.
His extensive White House makeover efforts have already included
building a patio space alongside the Rose Garden, erecting towering
flagpoles on the North and South Lawns, renovating the bathroom
attached to the Lincoln Bedroom and the Palm Room, and adding gold
flourishes to the Oval Office and the outside colonnade.
The president also wants to build a ceremonial arch near the Lincoln
Memorial, overhaul several Washington-area golf courses and is
leading a push to revamp the Kennedy Center that is forcing the
nation’s capital’s premier center for the performing arts to close
for two years this summer.
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Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this
report.
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