Washington — On Friday, August 7th, 2026, a federal appeals court determined that the Trump White House lacks the authority to unilaterally demolish the East Wing and build a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom in its place. The court found that the $400 million project requires explicit congressional approval.

The judges emphasized that Congress holds "full constitutional control over federal property and the funding of its maintenance and development," and noted an "absence of any express or implied authorization" permitting President Trump to proceed with the construction. They stated, "We are aware of no instance in American history in which a President unilaterally and using privately collected funds demolished substantial portions of the White House that Congress authorized to be built and American taxpayers paid for."

President Trump responded swiftly, announcing that his administration will appeal the ruling directly to the Supreme Court, setting up a legal battle over the controversial ballroom construction.

The Trump administration has argued that halting the ballroom's construction "severely jeopardizes the lives and welfare of the people who work, and will be working, at the White House," citing that stopping the project would impact the construction of an underground bunker included in the plans. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also filed court documents urging the resumption of construction, referencing a recent attempted attack at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in April as underscoring the need for a secure ballroom on White House grounds.

This ruling focuses solely on the legal authority to build the ballroom and does not address whether the project is desirable as a matter of policy.

Sources

Arden Farhi is managing editor for CBS News' Washington bureau and has covered multiple presidential administrations and campaigns.