An American judge has expressed serious doubts about the legality of President Donald Trump's administration's plans to build a $400 million ballroom in the White House. This is reported by UNN with reference to The Independent.
Details
The planned 90,000-square-foot facility is to be built on the site of the recently demolished East Wing.
During a hearing on a lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon expressed serious reservations.
He questioned whether President Trump has the legal authority to demolish the East Wing and build a ballroom in its place without explicit oversight or approval from the U.S. Congress.
The judge also noted that he would rule in the coming weeks on the National Trust's request for a preliminary injunction aimed at halting construction.
Context
In October 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the start of construction of a new ballroom in the White House, funded by private sources.
The American leader stated that he plans to name the new 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom after himself.
The White House chief hired a new architectural firm, Shalom Baranes Associates, to oversee the design of his new ballroom. This came after disagreements with the original designer, McCrery Architects, over the size and timing of the project.
Subsequently, the U.S. National Trust for Historic Preservation sued Donald Trump over the construction of a ballroom in the White House.
Recall
Donald Trump's administration is trying to expedite the review process for the White House ballroom project to get final approval as early as March.