Trump administration cleared to continue construction of White House ballroom, court rules
The Guardian • • general
Key Points:
- A US appeals court ruled that the Trump administration can continue building a $400 million White House ballroom at the site of the former East Wing, granting a stay on a previous order that halted most aboveground construction.
- The earlier halt resulted from a lawsuit by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which challenged Trump's authority to demolish the East Wing and build the ballroom without congressional approval.
- District Judge Richard Leon initially stopped construction in March due to lack of congressional approval but allowed below-ground work to continue, citing national security concerns.
- The appeals court's stay allows aboveground construction to proceed temporarily while it reviews the emergency motion, with a hearing tentatively set for June 5.
- Trump has stated that the ballroom project is funded by private donors and major corporations including Meta, Apple, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Palantir, Google, and Comcast.
