Architect Shalom Baranes reveals elevation drawings for a brand new $400 million ballroom on the White Home to members of the Nationwide Capital Planning Fee on Jan. 8, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Photos
A federal decide in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday blocked, for now, the development of the new White Home ballroom, which President Donald Trump has closely touted.
District Court docket Choose Richard Leon, in his order, stated building of the deliberate $400 million ballroom “should cease” as a result of no regulation “comes shut” to giving Trump authorized authority to construct such a construction on the White Home with out authorization by Congress.
Leon stated that the Nationwide Belief for Historic Preservation in the USA, which had sued Trump to halt the venture, was more likely to prevail within the case.
The decide enjoined Trump administration officers and the Govt Officer of the President, “from taking any motion in furtherance of the bodily improvement of the proposed ballroom on the former web site of the East Wing of the White Home.”
Leon stated the order would take impact inside 14 days. The delay offers Trump time to enchantment the order.
The White Home didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark by CNBC about Leon’s order. CNBC additionally has requested the Nationwide Belief for remark.
The ruling comes months after the East Wing was demolished to make method for the deliberate 90,000-square-foot ballroom, whose value is supposed to be lined by donations from companies and different personal donors.
“The President of the USA is the steward of the White Home for future generations of First Households. He’s not, nonetheless, the proprietor,” Leon wrote in a memorandum opinion explaining his ruling.
“President Trump claims that Congress has given him authority in current statutes to assemble his East Wing ballroom venture and to do it with personal funds,” the decide wrote.
“The plaintiff, the Nationwide Belief for Historic Preservation in the USA … claims the President has no such authority below current statutes and {that a} preliminary injunction is critical to keep away from irreparable hurt.”
“I’ve concluded that the Nationwide Belief is more likely to succeed on the deserves as a result of no statute comes near giving the President the authority he claims to have,” Leon wrote. “As such, I have to due to this fact GRANT the Nationwide Belief’s Movement for a Preliminary Injunction, and the ballroom building venture should cease till Congress authorizes its completion.”
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