A federal judge has put a stop to President Donald Trump’s $400 million ballroom project, months after he demolished the East Wing of the White House.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled Tuesday that the administration needs congressional approval before continuing with its plans to construct a massive ballroom where the East Wing once stood, siding with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and granting their motion for a preliminary injunction.

“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” Leon wrote.

“I have concluded that the National Trust is likely to succeed on the merits because no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have. As such, I must therefore GRANT the National Trust’s Motion for a Preliminary Injunction, and the ballroom construction project must stop until Congress authorizes its completion,” he continued.

Trump promptly posted on Truth Social after the ruling was handed down, saying, “Doesn’t make much sense, does it?”

He called the National Trust for Historic Preservation “a Radical Left Group of Lunatics whose funding was stopped by Congress in 2005” and criticized them for not suing the Federal Reserve over “a Building which has been decimated and destroyed, inside and out, by an incompetent and possibly corrupt Fed Chairman.”

Leon delayed his order for 14 days so the White House has the option to appeal the decision.

He also signaled that he would “exclude construction necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House” — but blamed Trump’s rush to demolish the historic building for the situation.

“While I take seriously the Government’s concerns regarding the safety and security of the White House grounds and the President himself, the existence of a ‘large hole’ beside the White House is, of course, a problem of the President’s own making!” Leon wrote.

In the Oval Office Tuesday, Trump addressed the order from Leon and said he would continue with construction because the ballroom provides safety for the president. To drive home his point, he cited its drone-proof roof, as well as its planned bullet- and ballistic-proof glass.

“President Trump clearly has the legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House – just like all of his predecessors did. We will immediately appeal this egregious decision and are confident we will prevail,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement to NOTUS.

Trump has had his sights set on a White House ballroom for years — he even pitched the idea to one of then-President Barack Obama’s advisers.

“‘You know, you have these state dinners and you have them in these little tents,’” an Obama adviser recalled Trump telling him. “And he said, ‘You know, I build ballrooms. I build the greatest ballrooms and you can come down to Florida to see them.’”

After returning to office last year, Trump floated the idea of building a ballroom in place of the East Wing, which historically housed the first lady’s office.

In July, Trump announced he would build a 90,000-square-foot “ornately designed and carefully crafted” ballroom — which he originally claimed would cost $200 million.

Demolition of the East Wing began in October, and quickly garnered negative reactions from D.C. residents.

“This isn’t a real estate deal. This is a living, breathing building. It actually hurts, as a citizen. It’s us. It’s our home. This doesn’t belong to anybody except the blood, the sweat and the tears of every president,” a D.C. resident told NPR.

Trump then fired the entire Commission of Fine Arts, all of whom were appointed by former President Joe Biden and were expected to serve through 2028.

In January, the administration appointed a new slate of commissioners, who quickly approved Trump’s ballroom plans.

Trump has big ambitions for his ballroom. Funded by private donations, it is expected to have a nearly 1,000-person capacity and host luxurious events like state dinners.

One feature of the ballroom was a grand staircase for arriving heads of state — however, recent renderings of the ballroom don’t include it. The proposed ballroom is about 60 percent larger than the White House residence.Trump also revealed earlier this week that the military is building a massive complex under the ballroom. A bunker was built under the original East Wing during World War II to serve as a secure emergency shelter for the president.

“The ballroom essentially becomes a shed for what’s being built under,” he told reporters Sunday.

As Trump’s vision for the ballroom grew, so did its cost. The original proposal claimed the addition would cost approximately $200 million, an estimate that quickly ballooned to $300 million.At a Hanukkah reception in December, Trump bumped up the estimate again, saying he expected the project to cost more than $400 million — though he vowed that it would be financed through private donations and that taxpayers would not foot the bill.

“For 150 years they wanted a ballroom, and we’re giving them — myself and donors are giving them, free of charge, for nothing, we’re donating a building that’s approximately $400 million,” Trump said.