President Donald Trump displays a graphic representation of the envisioned new East Wing of the White House as he addresses journalists while flying aboard Air Force One from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, March 29, 2026. Mark Schiefelbein/AP
A federal magistrate in Washington on Tuesday delivered a preliminary directive, preventing further work on President Donald Trump’s distinctive White House ballroom — a setback conveyed in a striking legal opinion that insisted the Trump "is not…the owner!"
Judge Richard Leon articulated that Trump is unable to construct the ballroom absent consent from Congress, and that "no legal provision even remotely grants the President the authority he purports to possess."
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the privately supported nonprofit designated by Congress for the safeguard of historic landmarks, filed a lawsuit to halt the erection of the White House ballroom, which commenced the prior autumn without congressional sanction. The organization requested the building of the expansive 90,000 square foot ballroom be suspended pending the conclusion of a mandated federal review process for federal construction endeavors.
Within the judgment, Leon stated Trump is "the caretaker of the White House for upcoming generations of First Families. He isn’t, nevertheless, the proprietor!" The adjudication indicates that the people’s chosen representatives must sanction construction on White House land, along with the strategy by which it will be financed.
"Regrettably for the Defense, unless and until Congress approves this venture through legislative authorization, building must cease!" Leon penned.
President Donald Trump displays a graphic representation of the envisioned new East Wing of the White House as he addresses journalists while flying aboard Air Force One from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, March 29, 2026.Mark Schiefelbein/AP
The justice proposed a direct resolution to the issue: a plain appeal to the House and Senate.
"The President retains the prerogative to approach Congress anytime to secure explicit permission to erect a ballroom and to achieve it using private funds. In fact, Congress might even elect to allocate monies for the ballroom, or at the very least determine that an alternate financing approach is suitable,” Leon recorded.
The White House has contended that the character of the work on the White House grounds does not necessitate congressional endorsement, a declaration the Trust contested in its legal action.
“President Trump undeniably possesses the lawful prerogative to modernize, refurbish, and enrich the White House — consistent with every predecessor. We shall swiftly appeal this outrageous verdict and harbor conviction in our eventual triumph," Davis Ingle, a White House representative, expressed in a formal statement.
Trump initially mentioned in July that the undertaking would not impinge on the current White House configuration — although the White House's East Wing was afterward dismantled.
Leon is postponing the implementation of his injunction for 14 days to accommodate a probable appeal from the administration, and is removing from his mandate anything that would be "strictly crucial to guarantee the safety and security of the White House and its surroundings, including the ballroom construction site, and ensure the wellbeing of the President and his associates."
Nonetheless, Leon refuted the White House’s assertions, delivered as late as Monday evening in a private filing, that national security would be jeopardized by a pause in the ballroom’s development. He characterizes that stance as "clutching at straws."
"Although I treat the Government's anxieties regarding the safety and security of the White House lands and the President himself with seriousness, the presence of a 'large gap' adjacent to the White House constitutes, naturally, a predicament generated by the President himself!” Leon articulated.
A 31-page document concerning the White House ballroom presented to the panels evaluating the venture showcase the suggested addition to the White House from supplementary viewpoints and introduces updated depictions of the initiative.Commission of Fine Arts
Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, lauded Leon's determination.
"This marks a triumph for the American populace on a project permanently influencing one of the most cherished and celebrated locations within our nation," Quillen expressed in a proclamation.
Trump disparaged the National Trust for Historic Preservation in a post on social media Tuesday subsequent to Leon's judgment, branding it a "Radical Left Group of Lunatics."
Trump equally bewailed that the National Trust had likewise filed suit against him concerning the proposed remodeling of the Kennedy Center.
“Consequently, the White House Ballroom, and The Trump Kennedy Center, both under budget, ahead of schedule, and poised to be among the most magnificent Structures of their type globally, are facing litigation by a faction that was stripped of Government funding in prior years, yet all the numerous CATASTROPHES within our Country are abandoned to perish. Lacks logic, correct,” Trump articulated within the post.
ABC News' Nicholas Kerr and Sarah Beth Hensley assisted in compiling this report.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com