Trump rails against court decision that once again stalls his White
House ballroom project
[April 17, 2026]
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump railed against a federal
judge's decision on Thursday that continues to block above-ground
construction of a $400 million White House ballroom, allowing only
below-ground work on a bunker and other “national security facilities”
at the site.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s latest ruling comes in response to an
appeals court’s instruction to clarify an earlier decision on the
90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom planned for the site
where it demolished the East Wing of the White House.
Trump on social media called Leon, who was nominated to the bench by
Republican President George W. Bush, a “Trump Hating” judge 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.”
The administration filed a notice that it will ask the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review Leon's latest
decision, too.
National Trust for Historic Preservation president and CEO Carol Quillen,
whose group sued to challenge the project, said in a statement that the
group is pleased with the court's ruling.
Leon said that below-ground work on security measures is exempt from his
order suspending above-ground construction. Government lawyers have
argued that the project includes critical security features to guard
against a range of possible threats, such as drones, ballistic missiles
and biohazards.
Leon's latest ruling comes several days after a three-judge panel from
the D.C. appeals court instructed him to reconsider the possible
national security implications of stopping construction.
In his previous order, Leon barred above-ground work on the ballroom
from proceeding without congressional approval. The judge also ruled on
March 31 that any construction work that’s necessary to ensure the
safety and security of the White House is exempt from the scope of the
injunction. Leon said he reviewed material that the government privately
submitted to him before concluding that halting construction wouldn’t
jeopardize national security.
Leon had suspended his March 31 order for two weeks. He stayed his
latest decision for another week, which gives the administration more
time to seek Supreme Court review.
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Work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White
House, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Washington, where the East Wing
once stood. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Leon said he is ordering a stop only to the above-ground
construction of the planned ballroom, apart from any work needed to
cover or secure that part of the project. Otherwise, the Trump
administration is free to proceed with the construction of any
excavations, bunkers, military installations, and medical facilities
below the ballroom.
“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!”
On Saturday, the appeals court panel said it didn't have enough
information to decide how much of the project can be suspended
without jeopardizing the safety of the president, his family or the
White House staff.
Leon said he recognizes the safety implications of the case, but
stressed that “national security is not a blank check to proceed
with otherwise unlawful activity.” He also said he has “no desire or
intention to be dragooned into the role of construction manager.”
On April 2, two days after Leon's previous ruling, Trump’s ballroom
won final approval from the 12-member National Capital Planning
Commission, which is charged with approving construction on federal
property in the Washington region.
The preservation group sued in December, a week after the White
House finished demolishing the East Wing to make way for a ballroom
that Trump said would fit 999 people. Trump says the project is
funded by private donations, although public money is paying for the
bunker construction and security upgrades.
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