US court halts Trump's White House ballroom project

A US appeals court has halted construction of a planned ballroom at the White House, ruling that President Donald Trump must obtain approval from Congress before the project can continue. The ballroom is reported to cost around 400 million dollars and to cover 8,400 square meters. According to German media reports, Trump has said the hall would be bulletproof, include a drone landing pad, and host large state banquets. Reports also suggest that nearly the entire East Wing of the White House would be demolished to make way for it, and that a fortified structure is being built beneath the site. A judge first blocked the work in a ruling reported at the end of March 2026, and above-ground construction is said to be suspended for now. The decision leaves Trump with one remaining option: the Supreme Court. Reports indicate the case over the ballroom is now set to be decided there. The ruling marks another legal setback for a project that touches one of the most historic parts of the presidential residence.

Appeals court orders halt to White House ballroom construction

A US appeals court has ordered a halt to construction of President Donald Trump's planned ballroom at the White House, ruling that Trump must obtain approval from Congress before work on the project can continue. The decision marks a significant legal obstacle for the project, which is reported to carry a price tag of around 400 million dollars.

Above-ground construction on the ballroom is suspended for the time being, according to reports. The appeals court's intervention was not the first: a judge had already blocked work on the project in a ruling reported at the end of March 2026.

According to German media reports, the ruling affects a project tied to the historic East Wing of the White House. Reports cited by outlets including Spiegel and Zeit indicate that Trump has said nearly the entire East Wing would be demolished to make way for the new hall, which is reported to cover 8,400 square meters. Those details remain unconfirmed by the court itself.

With the appeals court decision in place, Trump's remaining path to continue the project runs through the Supreme Court, unless Congress grants its approval first.

A 400-million-dollar project with a drone pad and a fortified bunker

The ballroom Trump wants to build at the White House is a project of unusual scale, according to media reports. The cost is reported to be around 400 million dollars, and the hall is said to cover 8,400 square meters — roughly the size of a football pitch.

Trump has described plans that go well beyond a conventional event space. According to reports, he has said the ballroom will be bulletproof and will include a landing pad for drones. He intends to host large state banquets in the hall, which would give the White House a venue for formal receptions on a scale it currently lacks.

The construction plans are equally far-reaching. Trump has said that nearly the entire East Wing of the White House — one of the historic parts of the complex — would be demolished to make way for the new building, according to his own statements as reported. And beneath the ballroom, a large fortified structure is being built, according to one report.

Above-ground construction work is suspended for the time being, reports say, following the court intervention.

Trump's last resort: the Supreme Court

With the appeals court's ruling, the project's path forward runs through only one institution: the Supreme Court. Trump would need to appeal to the justices if he wants construction to continue, and reports suggest the case is set to be decided there. Whether he has already filed such an appeal, and when, is not yet known.

The decision marks another legal setback for the project, which involves the historic East Wing of the White House, according to reports. Trump has said nearly the entire East Wing would be demolished to make way for the new ballroom. A judge had already blocked work on the project in a ruling reported at the end of March 2026, and above-ground construction is now suspended for the time being, reports say.

Much about the dispute remains unclear. The appeals court's identity and the legal grounds for its ruling have not been established. Nor is it known who is funding the reported 400-million-dollar cost, or what the current status is of demolition work in the East Wing and construction beneath the site. Those questions will shape what the Supreme Court is ultimately asked to decide — and how quickly the case reaches it.

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