US appeals court halts Trump's $400 million White House Ballroom project construction; Trump says, 'Will be appealing to US Supreme Court'

A US federal appeals court on Friday ordered President Donald Trump's administration to halt construction of a $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House's demolished East Wing, marking a significant legal setback in a case examining the limits of presidential authority. In a 2-1 ruling, the Washington-based US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said a president does not have unilateral authority to fundamentally alter the White House without congressional approval.

“Each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House” and cannot fundamentally reshape it without congressional approval, the court said. The decision upheld a preliminary injunction secured by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which filed a lawsuit last year after the administration demolished the East Wing and began constructing a 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) ballroom without first obtaining authorization from Congress.

The court's majority emphasised that decisions about major structural changes to the White House belong to Congress. "Whether or not a ​massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help," the panel majority wrote. "Congress has not ceded unfettered authority to the Executive Branch to dramatically redesign, reshape, and reconstruct the White House, the People’s House, to fit a particular President’s ​desires."

The appeals court placed its ruling on hold for 14 days, allowing the Trump administration time to seek review from the US Supreme Court. The White House and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The National Trust for Historic Preservation also did not immediately comment. The appeal followed rulings by US District Judge Richard Leon, appointed by former President George W. Bush, who twice blocked above-ground construction while allowing underground work to continue.

The ballroom project has been described by the administration as necessary for hosting large formal events while improving White House security. It is also one of several initiatives by Trump aimed at reshaping prominent government buildings and landmarks in Washington. In a separate legal dispute, another judge recently ruled that Trump's name had been illegally added to the exterior of the Kennedy Center and ordered it removed.

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National security arguments

During oral arguments before the DC Circuit on June 5, Justice Department attorney Yaakov Roth argued that courts should not interfere with the privately funded ballroom project. Roth contended that the National Trust's ‘architectural preference’ should not outweigh national security concerns, asserting that the former East Wing left the president and others inside the White House vulnerable to attack.

"They just don't want to go to Congress," responded Thaddeus Heuer, attorney for the preservation group. The majority opinion, written by Democratic-appointed judges Patricia Millett and Brad Garcia, clarified that the ruling does not permanently prohibit construction. Instead, it pauses above-ground work while the lawsuit proceeds and until congressional approval is obtained.

“The bold assertion that the Executive can act with utter lawlessness, destroying treasured national landmarks and harming ​the interests of individuals, and that no court can stop it flouts our constitutional order,” the majority wrote. The judges also rejected the administration's national security argument, stating that ‘are not an automatic get-out-of-law-free card’. In dissent, Circuit Judge Neomi Rao, appointed by Trump during his first term, argued that the lower court had exceeded its authority.

“The district court seized supervision of construction at the White House, and my colleagues affirm this judicial overreach,” Rao wrote. Trump has continued to defend the ballroom project despite its growing cost, which has doubled from its original estimate. In a Truth Social post in May, Trump said the increased cost reflected the expanded scope of the project, writing that ‘it is approximately twice the size, and a far higher quality, than the original proposal’ and promising ‘it will be magnificent, safe, and secure!’

‘We will be immediately appealing to US Supreme Court’: Trump

US President Donald Trump on Friday criticised an appeals court decision ordering a pause in construction of his White House ballroom, and promised to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court. "We will be immediately appealing to the United States Supreme Court," Trump said in a post on Truth Social, describing it as "a horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful ruling" that goes against national security interests.