BREAKING: A federal judge has BLOCKED Donald Trump from moving forward with his planned 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom, ruling that only limited underground construction tied to national security can continue.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon made clear that “national security is not a blank check,” rejecting Trump’s attempt to use security justifications to push ahead with the $400 million aboveground expansion. The ruling means the flashy ballroom addition Trump wanted for hosting VIP guests is on hold unless Congress approves it.
The court is allowing work to continue only on a classified underground component that officials claim is necessary for protecting the president and staff—but even that comes amid questions about shifting explanations from the Trump administration.
The decision is a major setback for Trump, who had insisted the project could proceed and framed it as essential to security. Preservation groups that sued to stop the construction argue the ballroom was never about national security in the first place—and the judge appears to agree.
