A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump from moving forward with construction for the new massive $400 million ballroom where the White House East Wing used to be.
Judge Richard Leon made his ruling on Tuesday and wrote: “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 was appointed by former President George W. Bush. He said he would delay the implementation of his ruling for two weeks to allow for a possible appeal. According to CNN, the judge did warn that “any above-ground construction over the next fourteen days that is not in compliance” with his ruling “is at risk of being taken down depending on the outcome of this case.”
“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 on Truth Social after the ruling was made.
At the center of Leon’s ruling was the fact that Trump did not have the authority to replace whole sections of the White House without consulting Congress and receiving approval from lawmakers.
This decision is the first major setback in the president’s bold plans to redesign the White House and parts of Washington, D.C. The ruling followed months of litigation before Leon, who previously refused to step in, per The New York Times.
Why did the judge rule to stop the construction?
Other concerns raised in the decision were that, since the start, the administration was not clear on who was in charge of the project and under what authority it could be funded by private donations.
“Unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!” Leon wrote, per CNN. He added that this is not a permanent stop, as Trump and Congress can work to authorize the project.
If the Trump administration had gotten congressional approval, then the legislature would “retain its authority over the nation’s property and its oversight over the government’s spending,” Leon wrote.
Leon’s ruling showed he believed that the National Trust for Historic Preservation — a nonprofit organization that protects American historic buildings, which sued over the project — had put together a workable challenge after multiple misses.
In his Truth Social post, Trump referred to the National Trust as “a Radical Left Group of Lunatics.”
“The National Trust’s interests in a constitutional and lawful process will be vindicated,” Leon wrote, per The New York Times. “And the American people will benefit from the branches of government exercising their constitutionally prescribed roles.”
According to Fox News, the National Trust argued that the project was rushed through without warning to or input from the legislative branch. It also argued that the way it has been funded was legally problematic.
What we know about the White House ballroom project
Trump said he raised over $350 million from personal backers as well as two dozen defense, tech and cryptocurrency corporations to fund the project without government money.
Trump has said that the project does not require any oversight and he should be able to move forward without serious scrutiny, per CNN. He maintained that the construction will be done in summer 2028, shortly before he leaves office. Lawyers representing the government have argued that the president has authority to modernize or improve the White House grounds.
The president, a former real estate developer, has been involved in the details of the project, including floor plans and marble selection.
The estimated size of the ballroom project is around 89,000 square feet, per CNN. In comparison, the Executive Mansion — the primary White House structure is 55,000 square feet.
But Leon disagreed with Trump’s position at every turn. The judge also told lawyers he believed the issues would ultimately be settled by the Supreme Court.
“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, according to CNN. “Indeed, Congress may even choose to appropriate funds for the ballroom, or at least decide that some other funding scheme is acceptable.”