A US federal appeals court has dealt President Donald Trump a major setback by ordering his administration to stop above-ground construction of the proposed $400 million ballroom at the White House. The project, one of Trump’s most ambitious changes to the White House complex, is now at the centre of a legal battle over how much authority a president has to alter one of the country’s most historic buildings.
The Washington-based US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 that the administration cannot continue building the ballroom because Congress never approved the project. However, the court paused its order for 14 days, giving the Trump administration time to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Why did the court stop the project?
The judges ruled the White House belongs to the American people, and major structural changes cannot be made solely on a president’s decision.
“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” the majority wrote.
The court further said that Congress has not given the president unrestricted power to “dramatically redesign, reshape, and reconstruct the White House to fit a particular President’s desires.”
The ruling upholds an earlier decision by US District Judge Richard Leon, who had twice blocked above-ground construction while allowing underground work to continue. Leon had ruled that no federal law gave the president the authority to build the ballroom without congressional approval.
What is Trump’s White House ballroom project?
The Trump administration introduced plans for the project in July 2025, saying the White House needed a much larger venue for official events and state functions.
The proposal includes a 90,000-square-foot redevelopment of the East Wing area, with a new ballroom of around 22,000 square feet. The ballroom is designed to seat between 650 and 999 guests, far more than the roughly 200-person capacity of the current East Room.
Initially estimated to cost about $200 million, later estimates placed the project at around $250 million before Trump recently said the price had increased to about $400 million. The administration has said the project would be funded by Trump and private donors.
Trump defended the higher cost in a Truth Social post last month, saying it had increased because “it is approximately twice the size, and a far higher quality, than the original proposal” and promised “it will be magnificent, safe, and secure!”
Why is the project controversial?
The project required demolishing the existing East Wing, a part of the White House complex that traces its origins to 1902 and has been renovated several times over the past century. Demolition began in October 2025, with construction starting the following month.
Preservation groups argued that such a major change to a historic national landmark should have gone through legally required review processes, including environmental and public consultations. More than 32,000 public comments were submitted after the proposal became public.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued the administration in December 2025, arguing that it had bypassed those legal requirements.
During arguments before the appeals court, Justice Department lawyer Yaakov Roth said courts should not interfere with a privately funded project and argued that the old East Wing created security risks for the president.
Representing the preservation group, lawyer Thaddeus Heuer responded, “They just don’t want to go to Congress.”
What have Trump and others said?
The White House has presented the ballroom as a long-overdue improvement to the presidential residence.White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said, “President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail.” Trump has repeatedly praised the project. While showing the construction site to reporters, he said, “There will never be another building like this built, that I can tell you,” as reported by PBS News.
Preservation groups, however, have argued that any redesign should follow established legal procedures. National Trust for Historic Preservation President and CEO Carol Quillen said, “Listening to the views of the American people and incorporating the best of our ideas will result in a better overall project,” according to National Trust for Historic Preservation