A federal appeals court blocked construction on Donald Trump’s new White House ballroom on Friday, saying the president has no constitutional authority over the property “owned by the American people and stewarded by the National Park Service.”
The court’s 2-1 decision upheld a federal judge’s ruling in April that demanded construction stop until the administration received approval from Congress. The Trump administration could still decide to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court in the next two weeks before the order takes effect.
Trump said his administration would be immediately appealing to the Supreme Court in a Truth Social post hours after the decision was handed down, saying the court had failed to acknowledge the ballroom was “desperately needed.”
“This holding has nothing at all to do with whether the proposed ballroom is desirable, or not, as a matter of policy,” judges Patricia A. Millett and Bradley N. Garcia wrote in their majority opinion. “This ruling does not even necessarily mean that the Defendants may not ultimately construct the ballroom. What it does mean is that the Defendants may not do so during the district court’s expeditious litigation without securing Congress’s authorization, as the Constitution and laws require.”
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Trump began demolishing the White House’s East Wing in October, despite previously pledging that the construction of his ballroom would not “interfere” with the previously standing building. Originally slated to cost $200 million — which the administration had said would come from private donors — The Washington Post reported in June that the actual bill could end up being closer to $600 million, with taxpayers potentially footing half of that bill.
“We are aware of no instance in American history in which a President unilaterally and using privately collected funds demolished substantial portions of the White House that Congress authorized to be built and American taxpayers paid for,” the majority wrote. “Until now.”
Judge Neomi Rao wrote that the preliminary injunction constituted a “clear abuse of discretion” in her dissent.
“This case is not about tearing down the White House and building a skyscraper or razing the Statue of Liberty,” Rao, a Trump appointee, wrote. “The equitable balance is between the asserted aesthetic harm to a single passerby and the safety and security of the President as well as his family, staff, and guests at the White House.”
In his Friday post, Trump praised Rao’s dissent and reiterated that the ballroom would not generate taxpayer expenses.
The “totally secure Ballroom, which is being built ahead of schedule and under budget, is a Gift from President Trump and Great Patriots of the United States of America,” he wrote.
This story was updated to reflect Trump’s announcement.
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