A US judge ruled on Tuesday that President Donald Trump cannot build a ballroom on White House grounds without congressional approval.
Trump’s $400 million ballroom was planned for the White House’s East Wing, which was demolished last year to make way for the new structure. The president has said the ballroom is a necessary addition to the White House complex.
The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation brought the lawsuit, alleging that Trump exceeded his authority with the project.
US District Judge Richard Leon, a Republican appointee of former President George W. Bush, granted a preliminary injunction to halt construction until the legal matter is resolved.
“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. “Where does this leave us? Unfortunately for Defendants, unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!”
The Trump administration was given 14 days to appeal the decision, which it filed immediately.
“This is a win for the American people on a project that forever impacts one of the most beloved and iconic places in our nation,” National Trust CEO Carol Quillen said.
Trump responded on his social media site Truth Social, calling the National Trust “left-wing lunatics” and defending the ballroom as “under budget, ahead of schedule, being built at no cost to the Taxpayer, and will be the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World.”
The National Trust has also challenged the administration over its plan to overhaul the Kennedy Center, which the administration unilaterally renamed the Trump Kennedy Center.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru