On Friday, August 7, 2026, a United States federal appeals court ordered the Trump administration to stop construction of a $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House's demolished East Wing. The Washington-based US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a divided 2-1 ruling that upheld a preliminary injunction won by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The preservation group had sued after the administration demolished the East Wing and began building an 8,360 square meter ballroom without congressional authorization.

The court emphasized that President Donald Trump does not have the unilateral authority to construct the ballroom, stating, “Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help.” The ruling upheld an earlier April 16 order from US District Judge Richard Leon that blocked above-ground construction while allowing underground work to continue.

The appeals court stayed its ruling for two weeks to allow the administration to appeal to the US Supreme Court.

Government lawyers have argued that the project, the largest structural change to the White House in over 70 years, includes critical security features designed to protect against threats such as drones, ballistic missiles, and biohazards. Justice Department attorney Yaakov Roth contended during court arguments that the courts should not intervene in the privately funded project and that national security concerns outweigh the National Trust’s architectural objections.

President Trump defended the ballroom and its increased cost on Truth Social, stating the project is "approximately twice the size, and a far higher quality, than the original proposal" and promising it "will be magnificent, safe, and secure!"

In a related development, a judge recently ruled that Trump’s name was illegally added to the exterior of the Kennedy Center performing arts centre and ordered its removal.

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