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By Alice Gibbs
Senior Reporter
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Just hours after his party suffered historic losses in the midterm elections, President Donald Trump gathered reporters to share the latest in one of his biggest White House projects—a “magnificent” new White House ballroom.
“Envision chandeliers all over,” he told the press during a walkthrough on Wednesday. “Envision marble floor. Oh, it’s going to be beautiful.”
Included in the design are columns carved out of limestone, 50ft-high ceilings, space for more than 300 guests, a “drone-proof” roof, marble floors and even a military-grade bunker.
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The contrast in mood was stark. As many Republicans took stock of the losses of the midterm elections and began to contemplate how the Democrats will use their new-found power on Capitol Hill, the president seemed more focused on his latest beautification project.
But with Congress now controlled by Democrats, the future of the ballroom may not be all marble floors and glittering dinner parties after all.
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Can The Democrats Halt Trump’s Ballroom?
Democratic control of Congress would not immediately halt construction on Trump’s ballroom, but could subject the project—and its financing and funding—to a level of scrutiny the White House has so far been able to avoid.
When the new Congress convenes in January, Democrats will have powerful congressional oversight ability to hold hearings, demand documents and even subpoena witnesses and records relating to the project.
This could put the financing of the ballroom squarely in lawmakers’ sights. Democrats have already sought information from major companies that contributed to the project, including Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Meta, Microsoft and Nvidia.
While nothing is confirmed, the groundwork for a broader investigation is already set. In August, Democratic Reps. Jared Huffman and Maxine Dexter sought information from the National Park Service and Trust for the National Mall about the project's fundraising and donor-vetting arrangements. Huffman also raised concerns about planning, environmental review and legal authorization.
Lawmakers closed the letter to the Trust by writing that the White House and President’s Park “are not Donald Trump’s billionaire playground; they belong to the American people.”
In October, the Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal wrote to 14 previously undisclosed donors to the ballroom project, asking for more information about how their donations were secured.
Questions included whether anyone in the administration proposed a specific amount for a donation, and why some of the donors chose to remain anonymous.
As the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Blumenthal said that they were “laying the groundwork” for a broader investigation and possible use of subpoena powers if his party took control of the Senate.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Newsweek: "President Trump is moving at lightning speed because we don’t have time to waste in our mission to make America greater than ever before."
Newsweek reached out to Reps. Huffman and Dexter and Sen. Blumenthal via email for comment.
Could Congress Legislate Against The Ballroom?
Oversight is not the only option for the incoming Congress when it comes to scrutiny of the ballroom project.
Democrats have also previously proposed legislation aimed directly at the private financing of projects such as Trump’s ballroom.
In November 2025, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced the Stop Ballroom Bribery Act, designed to regulate private donations used to pay for projects at the White House and certain other presidential properties.
The bill defines a “covered project” as the construction, demolition, alteration, improvement or maintenance of buildings and fixtures on or immediately adjacent to the White House grounds. It would also cover the vice president’s residence and certain monuments honoring living presidents or vice presidents.
The Senate bill was referred to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on November 18, 2025. Congress.gov lists that as its latest action and its status remains “Introduced.”
But even with Democratic control of Congress, the bill may not pass. The measure would still have to clear both chambers and could be vetoed by Trump, requiring two-thirds of each chamber to override him.
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Could The Courts Stop The Ballroom?
While Democratic control of Congress could bring new scrutiny, an existing legal challenge has also sought to halt construction.
In March, a federal judge ordered above-ground work on the ballroom to stop, concluding the project likely required congressional authorization. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that injunction in August.
But the Supreme Court went on to allow construction to continue while litigation proceeds. In its August 31 decision, the Court’s majority said the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which brought the lawsuit, was unlikely to have legal standing to challenge the project.
The Supreme Court’s ruling did not resolve or dismiss the underlying lawsuit, but there is currently no operative injunction preventing construction.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Emma Lee-Sang
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