A federal appeals court on Friday cleared the way for President Donald Trump to continue construction on his $400 million White House ballroom, temporarily blocking a lower court order that had halted aboveground work just one day earlier.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit acted after U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that the administration could not proceed with visible construction at the site of the former East Wing without congressional approval. Leon had permitted only underground work, including a bunker and other security-related facilities, while halting progress on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom above.
Leon rejected the administration’s claim that the entire project fell under a national security exception.
“Defendants’ argument is neither a reasonable nor a correct reading of my Order,” Leon wrote. “National security is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity.”
The administration appealed Leon’s order, and the D.C. Circuit’s ruling lifts that restriction, allowing both aboveground and belowground construction to continue while the case proceeds. The panel scheduled oral arguments for June 5, when it will consider whether the administration can move forward without approval from Congress or federal agencies.
Trump ordered the East Wing demolished last fall to make room for the ballroom, which is now the subject of a legal challenge over how the project was approved.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit advocacy group, sued to block construction, arguing the administration moved forward without obtaining required approvals from Congress and federal oversight bodies. Leon agreed in part in a late March ruling, finding the administration had exceeded its authority while still allowing underground security-related work to continue during the appeal.
The administration has argued that the ballroom is necessary for large-scale events and international gatherings at the White House. Trump has also said the project will be funded largely through private donations, though taxpayer dollars will cover security-related components tied to the construction.
Trump also responded personally, taking to Truth Social to attack Leon, calling him a “Trump Hating Judge” who “should be ashamed of himself!.” In a separate post, Trump argued the project is tied to national security concerns.
“The Ballroom is deeply important to our National Security,” Trump wrote. He added that without it, future presidents would not be “Safe and Secure at Events, Future Inaugurations, or Global Summits.”
The legal challenge over the project’s approval remains ongoing.
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