A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Trump to continue construction on his White House ballroom.In a 5–4 decision that broke somewhat along traditional ideological lines, the court granted an emergency request filed by the Trump administration to proceed with construction on the president’s controversial plans for a White House ballroom. Justice John Roberts joined all three of the court’s liberal justices in dissenting.“Construction of the ballroom has proceeded apace for the better part of a year,” Roberts wrote on behalf of the four dissenting justices. “That construction is likely unlawful. Pursuant to its plenary constitutional authority over the District of Columbia and federal property, Congress has explicitly prohibited the construction of any ‘building or structure … on any reservation, park, or public grounds of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia without express authority of Congress.” … The ballroom is a building or structure being erected on federal park grounds—President’s Park—in the District of Columbia. Yet Congress has not passed any law resembling ‘express authority’ for the Executive’s construction of it.”The conservative majority, in an unsigned decision, rejected the challenge from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which was seeking to halt construction of the ballroom indefinitely. The five justices did not rule on whether construction of the ballroom was in fact legal, but determined that the National Trust lacked the legal right to challenge the project.“This Court has not found standing in circumstances like these before,” the court’s opinion read. “To the contrary, we have repeatedly held that mere offense, disagreement, or distaste does not qualify.” While the court didn’t rule on the legality of the ballroom’s construction, the decision is still a major win for Trump—and an infringement on the powers of Congress.“The White House is not just any building,” Roberts noted in the dissent. “In failing to appreciate as much, the court misconceives the plaintiff’s injury, allowing the executive’s likely infringement of the legislature’s power of the purse and authority to regulate federal property in the District of Columbia to continue.” Trump has tried to push forward his 90,000-square-foot ballroom by arguing that it will provide a secure underground facility in case of a national emergency, but a recent report revealed that a bunker already exists under the White House to protect the president and his team if necessary. Meanwhile, the skyrocketing costs of the ballroom keeps escalating. What Trump originally claimed would be a $200 million project funded by donors has now turned into a $600 million boondogglewith taxpayers on the hook for half that amount.This story has been updated.Editor’s Pick:“I regret ever supporting you.” “You have lost your mind.” “Horrendous messaging.”These are just a few of the messages that President Trump’s supporters have sent him on Truth Social after his Monday morning attack on opponents of data centers.Trump had defended data center projects, saying communities who oppose them “want to end up being backwards and poor.” “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign,” he posted, adding that China “could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement.”Some of his supporters on Truth Social were incensed.“This statement is insane,” said @FLBeachbird. “I’m already on a water restriction.”“You’re an idiot. You’ll be making money I suspect. Meanwhile our lives get shittier with no water, more noise,” commented @Seigfried75.— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) August 31, 2026 Trump has consistently backed data centers, which are proliferating amid the artificial intelligence boom, during his second term as president. Last month he said, “You have communities that really want the data centers, and frankly those are the smart communities because it means a tremendous numbers of jobs, very little actual disruption.”In reality, people living near data centers complain about the negative effects on their lives, from the drain on water supplies to increased noise and utility costs. Most data centers only provide a few dozen permanent on-site jobs too. Public opposition to data centers has united people on the left and right.Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a new rule removing requirements that data centers would have to disclose how much they pollute, blocking residents who live near them from knowing what substances they’re being exposed to and denying them evidence to cite in any legal challenges.It seems that Trump is will continue to stubbornly promote data centers, regardless not only of the environmental and economic costs, but the political ones too.Latest From Politics