Judge rejects request to block Trump White House from building its US$400-million ballroom project

Construction continues on the ballroom where the East Wing used to stand at the White House, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

WASHINGTON -- A U.S. federal judge on Thursday rejected a preservationist group’s request to block the Trump administration from continuing construction of a US$400-million ballroom where it demolished the East Wing of the White House.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that The National Trust for Historic Preservation was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its bid to temporarily halt President Donald Trump’s project.

Leon said the group has a better chance of success if it amended its lawsuit.

“Unfortunately, because both sides initially focused on the President’s constitutional authority to destruct and construct the East Wing of the White House, Plaintiff didn’t bring the necessary cause of action to test the statutory authority the President claims is the basis to do this construction project without the blessing of Congress and with private funds,” he wrote.

The privately funded group sued for an order pausing the ballroom project until it undergoes multiple independent reviews and wins approval from Congress.

The White House announced the ballroom project over the summer. By late October, the Republican president had demolished the East Wing to make way for a ballroom that he said will fit 999 people. The White House said private donations, including from Trump himself, would pay for the planned construction of an 8,400-square-metre ballroom.

Trump proceeded with the project before seeking input from a pair of federal review panels, the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts. Trump, a Republican, has stocked both commission with allies.

By Michael Kunzelman