A United States District Judge, Richard Leon, has issued a preliminary injunction, effectively halting the construction of Donald Trump's ambitious $400 million White House ballroom project. The US president had previously overseen the demolition of the historic East Wing of the White House to make way for the expansive 90,000-square-foot facility.

The injunction was granted following a lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a non-profit organization. The lawsuit alleged that Trump had exceeded his executive authority by razing the East Wing and commencing construction without the requisite approval from Congress. Judge Leon, an appointee of former Republican president George W. Bush, stated unequivocally in his opinion, "Unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!" He further noted that it was not too late for Congress to authorize the continued construction.

The Trump administration swiftly appealed the order. Donald Trump himself reacted strongly on his Truth Social platform, denouncing the National Trust for Historic Preservation as "a radical left group of lunatics." He claimed the ballroom project was "under budget, ahead of schedule, being built at no cost to the Taxpayer, and will be the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World." In a subsequent post, Trump directly challenged the judge's decision, asserting, "He is WRONG!" and claiming that "Congressional approval has never been given on anything, in these circumstances, big or small, having to do with construction at the White House."

However, Judge Leon pointed to historical precedent, specifically referencing President Harry Truman, who sought and received congressional approval for the major White House renovation between 1949 and 1952. Leon stressed that Trump needed to adopt a similar approach. He wrote, "The President may at any time go to Congress to obtain express authority to construct a ballroom and to do so with private funds," adding that Congress could even choose to appropriate funds or accept another funding scheme, thereby retaining its authority over national property and government spending. Leon concluded that this process would vindicate the National Trust's interests and benefit the American people through the branches of government exercising their constitutionally prescribed roles.

This decision follows months of litigation surrounding the project. Earlier in the process, Judge Leon had expressed skepticism regarding the administration's argument that the ballroom constituted a mere "alteration" to White House grounds, stating in mid-March, "I'm struggling to see this as an 'alteration'." White House lawyers had consistently argued that congressional approval was not necessary for the project. While Leon initially declined an earlier request from the National Trust in February on procedural grounds, he invited an amended complaint, which the group subsequently filed. The $400 million project has reportedly been financed by private donors and major corporations including Meta, Apple, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Palantir Technologies, Google, and Comcast.