A federal judge has slammed the brakes on President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom expansion.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon granted a request on Tuesday by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to temporarily halt construction on the $400 million privately funded project while the case plays out. He said congressional approval would change the situation.
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The organization sued the National Parks Service in December 2025 over the construction replacing the demolished East Wing, alleging the project was moving forward without legally required reviews.
The Justice Department has defended the new addition as an appropriate modernization of the storied landmark and symbol of American excellence. They argue that the ballroom will allow for large events that have otherwise needed to go elsewhere.
Should the ballroom be finished, it’s currently estimated to span 89,000 square feet and seat more than 1,000 guests. Trump has said the project would be completed by summer 2028, just months before his term ends.
Pointed language in ruling
Leon ruled that the construction appeared to be a clear violation of a law requiring congressional approval for any building construction on federal property and that the Justice Department was likely to lose the lawsuit.
“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families,” Leon started his ruling with. “He is not, however, the owner!”
The judge went on to note that any construction on federal land must be approved by Congress, consistent with federal law.
Call to Congress
All Trump must do to release the construction from legal purgatory, Leon said, is get a Congressional blessing.
“Unfortunately for Defendants, unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!” he concluded.
The good news, Leon said, is that it’s “not too late for Congress to authorize the continued construction of the ballroom project. And the American people will benefit from the branches of Government exercising their constitutionally prescribed roles. Not a bad outcome, that!”
