Topline
President Donald Trump said his administration will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court decision issued Friday blocking his administration from continuing construction of his ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing of the White House, alleging the ruling was “horrendous, politically motivated and unlawful.”
Construction is seen on a new helipad on the South Lawn of the White House, on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Additional construction on President Donald Trump’s proposed White House ballroom is seen at right. (Photo by Peter W. Stevenson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Washington Post via Getty ImagesKey Facts
The appeals court ruled 2-1 to uphold an preliminary injunction against construction of the ballroom requested by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argues the Trump administration unlawfully began the project without congressional approval.
The Trump administration has 14 days to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The court said Congress must approve the ballroom, writing “this ruling does not even necessarily mean that Defendants may not ultimately construct the ballroom. What it does mean is that Defendants may not do so during the court’s expeditious litigation without securing Congress’s authorization, as the Constitution and laws require.”
The decision upholds an April ruling from U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, a nominee of former President George W. Bush.
The two appeals court judges who upheld the decision, Judges Patricia Millet and Bradley Garcia, were nominated by former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, respectively, while the opposing judge, Neomi Rao, was nominated by Trump.
Trump repeated his claim that the ballroom is needed for security purposes, calling it a “desperately needed Military Center” in his Truth Social post, questioning why the plaintiffs didn’t “bring this case long prior to construction starting” and insisting “this unjust decision must be overturned by the Supreme Court in its entirety.”
Crucial Quote
“The Military and Secret Service are viewing this horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful ruling as a National Security threat to our Nation in that the entire Complex is being built for the protection of our Country and, additionally, all future Presidents. The single, integrated project includes Bomb Shelters, State of the Art Hospital and Medical Facilities, Protective Partitioning, Top Secret Military Facilities, Structures and Equipment, Protective Missile Resistant Steel, Columns, Roofs, and Beams, Drone Proof Ceilings and Roofs, Military Grade Venting, and Bullet, Ballistic, and Blast Proof Glass. It is all tied together as one big, expensive, and very complex unit, which is vital for National Security and Military Operations of the United States of America!” Trump wrote.
Tangent
In addition to the ballroom, Trump is building a helipad on the South Lawn of the White House. Several other of Trump’s Capitol renovation projects have been subject to court challenges, including his troubled renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and his proposed 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery.
Key Background
The Trump administration has continued with construction of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom amid the court battle, as Leon’s April ruling was put on hold as the appeals process played out. Trump has claimed the project is a necessary security upgrade for the White House and has used the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Washington Hilton in April to bolster his argument. Trump initially promised the ballroom would not be built using taxpayer dollars and that private donations would fund construction, though the cost of the project has soared to an estimated $600 million, up $400 million from Trump’s initial estimate, according to a recent Washington Post analysis that also found, according to internal contractor estimates, that taxpayers are projected to cover half of the cost. The Secret Service in June also transferred about $350 million last month to cover White House security upgrades, which the administration has acknowledged would be used, at least in part, to pay for construction of the underground bunker system below the ballroom.
further reading
Jackhammer Drives Into White House Helipad After Trump Reportedly Orders Changes (Forbes)
White House Fortifying Front Door Where Tarps Hang Amid Trump’s Construction Blitz (Forbes)