A US judge has ordered a halt to the construction of Donald Trump's £320m White House ballroom, ruling that the project requires congressional approval. The president had demolished the historic East Wing last year to make way for the 90,000-square-foot development.
US District Judge Richard Leon granted a preliminary injunction sought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a non-profit organisation that sued Trump for exceeding his authority by razing the East Wing and starting construction without Congress's consent. The decision leaves the project on hold unless lawmakers authorise it.
In his opinion, Judge Leon wrote: 'Unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorisation, construction has to stop! But here is the good news. It is not too late for Congress to authorise the continued construction of the ballroom project.' The Trump administration immediately appealed against the order.
President Trump attacked the National Trust on Truth Social, calling it 'a radical left group of lunatics'. He claimed the ballroom was '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'. He also criticised the judge's decision, asserting that congressional approval had never been required for White House construction projects.
Judge Leon noted that President Harry Truman, who oversaw the last major White House renovation from 1949 to 1952, sought and received congressional approval. The judge said Trump could do the same, adding: 'The American people will benefit from the branches of government exercising their constitutionally prescribed roles.'
The ballroom, estimated to cost $400m, is reportedly financed by private donors and major corporations including Meta, Apple, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Palantir, Google and Comcast. The case follows months of litigation, with Judge Leon previously declining an earlier request for an injunction on procedural grounds.
