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By Jenna Sundel and Gabe Whisnant
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A federal judge on Thursday limited construction of President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom, allowing underground security work to continue while halting most above‑ground construction.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said the Trump administration may proceed with excavations and construction of bunkers and other national security facilities beneath the site but must stop work on the ballroom structure itself unless Congress grants approval. Leon clarified his ruling after a federal appeals court instructed him to reconsider potential national security risks associated with a total construction halt. Leon had previously barred work from proceeding without congressional approval.
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Trump reacted to the decision on Truth Social on Thursday, writing, "a Trump Hating, Washington, D.C. District Court Judge, a man who has gone out of his way to undermine National Security, and to make sure that this Great Gift to America gets delayed, or doesn’t get built, is attempting to prevent future Presidents and World Leaders from having a safe and secure large scale Meeting Place, or Ballroom."
"Everybody knew that it was planned, and going to be built. This highly political Judge, and his illegal overreach, is out of control, and costing our Nation greatly. This is a mockery to our Court System! The Ballroom is deeply important to our National Security, and no Judge can be allowed to stop this Historic and Militarily Imperative Project," Trump said.
Government lawyers had argued the $400 million project includes security features designed to protect against threats such as drones, ballistic missiles and biohazards, and that stopping construction could jeopardize presidential safety.
Leon, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, rejected claims that the entire ballroom project qualifies for a national security exemption. “National security is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity,” he wrote.
“Defendants argue that the entire ballroom construction project, from tip to tail, falls within the safety-and-security exception and therefore may proceed unabated,” the judge wrote. “That is neither a reasonable nor a correct reading of my Order!”
Leon also said he has “no desire or intention to be dragooned into the role of construction manager.”
The judge paused enforcement of his latest ruling for one week, giving the administration additional time to seek Supreme Court review.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued last year, arguing the demolition of the White House’s East Wing and construction of the ballroom required congressional approval.
White House Ballroom: What Trump Has Planned
The East Wing was demolished for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom that Trump said would fit 999 people.
The Trump administration said underground construction would include bomb shelters, military installations and a medical facility underneath the ballroom.
Trump said the construction includes "Bomb Shelters, a State of the Art Hospital and Medical Facilities, Protective Partitioning, Top Secret Military Installations, Structures, and Equipment, Protective Missile Resistant Steel, Columns, Roofs, and Beams, Drone Proof Ceilings and Roofs, Military Grade Venting, and Bullet, Ballistic, and Blast Proof Glass."
The appeals court said many of the government's concerns focused on that below-ground security work, which the White House had argued was “distinct from construction of the ballroom itself and could proceed independently.” The government later suggested the security upgrades are “inseparable” from the project as whole, the appeals court said.
Who is Paying for the White House Ballroom?
Trump has said the ballroom will be funded by private donations, though public funds are covering underground security upgrades.
The National Capital Planning Commission approved the project earlier this month, and the administration had planned to begin above‑ground construction this spring.
Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this article.
Update 04/16/25 3:57 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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