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Current Affairs

US court blocks Trump’s US$400 million White House ballroom project

A US federal appeal court ordered Donald Trump’s administration on Friday to stop construction on a US$400 million ballroom on the site of the White…

By Samantha Johnson / August 7, 2026

A US federal appeal court ordered Donald Trump’s administration on Friday to stop construction on a US$400 million ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing, dealing the Republican leader a major setback in a case testing his presidential authority.

“Each president is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House” and cannot fundamentally reshape it without congressional approval, the Washington-based US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said in a 2-1 opinion.

The ‌order upheld a preliminary injunction won by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued last year after the administration tore down the East Wing and began building a 90,000 sq ft (8,360-square-metre) ballroom without seeking authorisation from Congress.

“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for executive self-help,” the panel’s majority wrote.

The appeal court placed its ruling on hold for 14 days to allow the Trump administration to appeal to the US Supreme Court.

Construction of a ballroom at the White House. The ballroom plan is the grandest of several ‌Trump efforts ‌to reshape central Washington’s landscape of government buildings and national monuments. Photo: Reuters
Construction of a ballroom at the White House. The ballroom plan is the grandest of several ‌Trump efforts ‌to reshape central Washington’s landscape of government buildings and national monuments. Photo: Reuters

Trump, who has increasingly claimed that the ballroom project is a security necessity, referred to the structure as a “military centre” in a social media post on Friday and said the administration would appeal to the ⁠Supreme Court.

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