U.S. President Donald Trump holds a rendering of the East Wing modernization while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, March 29, 2026.
Mandel Gunn | AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump’s White House Ballroom received final approval from key agencies Thursday, days after a federal judge ordered construction halted unless Congress allows what would be the biggest structural change to the American landmark in more than 70 years.
The National Capital Planning Commission, which is tasked with approving construction on federal land in the Washington area, forced the vote because Tuesday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon affects construction activities, not the planning process, said commission spokesman Stephen Staudigle.
But despite the agency’s approval, the judge’s ruling and legal battle over the banquet hall could stall progress on the legacy project, which President Trump is rushing to complete by the end of his term in early 2029. It’s one of a series of reforms the Republican president plans to leave a lasting mark on the nation’s capital during his time in office.
A vote by the 12-member commission, including three appointed by President Trump, was originally scheduled for March, but was postponed to Thursday after too many people sought comment at the commission’s meeting. The comments were overwhelmingly against the ballroom.
Trump tweaks banquet hall design
Before Thursday’s vote, the committee considered some design changes to the addition of a 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom that President Trump announced Sunday aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington from a weekend at his home in Florida.
He removed the large staircase on the south side of the building and added an uncovered porch on the west side. Architects and other critics of the project criticized the staircase as being too large and essentially useless as there was no way to access the banquet hall at the top.
Trump did not give a reason for the change, but White House officials said the president considered comments from the National Capital Planning Commission and the American Board of Fine Arts, another oversight agency that approved the project earlier this year, as well as the public.
The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the ballroom’s design and spoke on condition of anonymity, said additional “improvements” will be made to the building’s exterior that chief architect Shalom Baranes will announce on Thursday.
The cost of the ballroom is currently estimated at $400 million, but it has expanded in scope and price since President Trump first announced the project last summer, citing a need for space other than tents on the lawn to entertain important guests. President Trump demolished the east wing without warning in October, and site preparation and underground work has been underway ever since. Officials said ground construction would not begin until April at the earliest.
Judge: ‘Trump does not own the White House’
The National Capital Planning Commission is chaired by Will Schaaf, a senior White House aide who has spoken in favor of adding a ballroom. The president appointed three of the members, and Trump nominated two other White House officials in addition to Schaaf.
Mr. Trump moved forward with the project before seeking input from the National Capital Planning Commission and the Fine Arts Commission, and regrouping with allies and supporters.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private nonprofit organization, filed the lawsuit after Trump demolished the east wing last fall to make way for a ballroom addition that is nearly twice the size of the mansion itself. President Trump has said the cost will be covered by donations from wealthy individuals and corporations, including himself, but public funds are paying for the bunker and increased security on the White House grounds.
The trust asked for a moratorium on construction until President Trump presents the project to both committees and Congress for approval. Judge Leon agreed, but said the order would take effect within two weeks and safety-related construction would be permitted.
The work continued Wednesday, and new photos from The Associated Press show cranes reaching skyward and the bustling former East Building site.
“The President of the United States is the custodian of the White House for future generations of the First Family, but he is not the owner!” the judge, who was appointed to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush, wrote in his ruling. He concluded that the National Trust for Historic Preservation is likely to succeed on its claims because “there is no law that gives the president the authority to make presidential claims.”
Trump countered that Congress would also need to approve his project.
“We’ve built a lot of things in the White House over the years that haven’t been approved by Congress,” he told reporters in the Oval Office after the ruling.
Representatives for the House and Senate committees overseeing the project did not respond to phone messages seeking comment. Congress is on spring break.
