A federal judge on Tuesday (March 31, 2026) ordered the Trump administration to suspend construction of a USD 400 million ballroom it demolished the East Wing of the White House to make space for, barring work from proceeding without congressional approval.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a preservationist group's request for a preliminary injunction that temporarily halts U.S. President Donald Trump's White House ballroom project.
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The White House quickly filed a notice to appeal while Mr. Trump fumed at the ruling. “We built many things at the White House over the years. They don't get congressional approval," he told reporters in the Oval Office a short time later.
He also noted that the ruling will allow work on underground bunkers and other security measures around the White House grounds to continue — even though those will be paid for by taxpayers, not the private donors and Mr. Trump himself that the President has promised will cover the cost of the ballroom.
