U.S. President Donald Trump holds a rendering of the modernized east wing while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, March 29, 2026.
Mandel Gunn | AFP | Getty Images
A federal appeals court has ruled to allow President Donald Trump to continue building a $400 million White House ballroom, a day after a lower court judge continued to block above-ground construction on the site of the former East Tower.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit late Friday suspended an order by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon to halt portions of the project. The panel scheduled a hearing for June 5 to consider the case.
In Thursday’s ruling, Leung continued to block above-ground construction of the 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom addition, and only allowed underground work to continue on the site’s bunkers and other “national security facilities.”
President Trump demolished the East Wing last fall and built a huge ballroom in its place. The National Trust for Historic Preservation subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction to halt construction, arguing that President Trump overstepped his authority by moving forward with the project without approval from key federal agencies and Congress.
Leon ruled in favor of the nonprofit group in late March, but briefly put the decision on hold and allowed it to continue underground. The administration appealed.
President Trump said the ballroom had been a long-desired addition to the White House complex and argued he had the right to build it because the security would be paid for with taxpayer dollars, but the cost would be covered by donations from wealthy individuals and corporations.
