A federal judge ruled Tuesday that President Donald Trump must stop construction of his new White House ballroom.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon held that Trump lacks the authority to go forward with the $400 million project using private funds without Congressional approval.
“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!” Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote in a 35-page ruling. He said that “no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have.”
The judge issued a preliminary injunction, halting construction, which was requested by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the nonprofit organization that sued Trump to stop the ballroom construction.
However, The Washington Post reported, “He stayed his order for two weeks, noting that the Trump administration will almost certainly appeal. He also ruled crews could continue doing construction necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House.”
“While I take seriously the Government’s concerns regarding the safety and security of the White House grounds and the President himself, the existence of a ‘large hole’ beside the White House is, of course, a problem of the President’s own making!” Leon wrote.
The judge concluded, “Where does this leave us? Unfortunately for Defendants, unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop! But here is the good news. It is not too late for Congress to authorize the continued construction of the ballroom project.”
“The President may at any time go to Congress to obtain express authority to construct a ballroom and to do so with private funds,” Leon wrote.
The Washington Post noted that the Commission of Fine Arts, a federal review panel that advises on major design projects, approved the ballroom on Feb. 19.
The National Capital Planning Commission, another review group, is set to rule on the ballroom addition on April 2.
BREAKING: @PressSec announces the construction of a new 90,000 sq ft ballroom at the White House — with construction to begin in September.
Visit https://t.co/Nq7Vqlw3HO for more. pic.twitter.com/XadWWxOGON
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 31, 2025
Trump responded to Leon’s ruling with a Truth Social post, describing the plaintiff, National Trust for Historic Preservation, as a “Radical Left Group of Lunatics whose funding was stopped by Congress in 2005.”
“The National Trust for Historic Preservation sues me for a Ballroom that is under budget, ahead of schedule, being built at no cost to the Taxpayer, and will be the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World,” Trump wrote.
He further noted that the same organization is suing him to stop his renovations at the Trump Kennedy Center.
Nonetheless, Trump predicted both projects would be completed under budget and ahead of schedule.
Donald J. Trump Truth Social Post 03:28 PM EST 03.31.26
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sues me for a Ballroom that is under budget, ahead of schedule, being built at no cost to the Taxpayer, and will be the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World. I then…
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) March 31, 2026
According to USA Facts, White House renovations have been undertaken in the past using both congressionally appropriated money and privately raised funds, though larger projects like the construction of the East and West Wings in 1902 and the complete interior reconstruction of the White House in 1948 were financed through public funds.
The judge’s argument falls short in two places:
1. Historically, Congress hasn’t approved the majority of White House improvements.
2. Given the project’s private funding, the judge’s rule that Congress’ “power of the purse” has to weigh in doesn’t apply. It’s a donation. https://t.co/z5zy9DF08N
— Tony Kinnett (@TheTonus) March 31, 2026
In 1962, then-first lady Jacqueline Kennedy oversaw a complete interior redesign of the executive mansion, using funds raised through the sale of a White House guidebook, which she put together.
Regarding the current ballroom addition, Trump told reporters on Sunday that the military is constructing a “massive complex” underneath it.
BELOW THE SURFACE: President Trump reveals the U.S. military is building a “massive complex” beneath the planned, privately-funded White House ballroom, and that construction is “ahead of schedule.” pic.twitter.com/VDbepFqox8
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 30, 2026
He explained, “The ballroom essentially becomes a shed of what’s being built under the military.”
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