Trump sued over White House ballroom construction
Construction crews continue to remove the East Wing of the White House and prepare for construction of the new ballroom, as seen from the Washington Monument reopening on November 14, 2025.
Andrew Leyden | Getty Images
A nonprofit group tasked with preserving historic sites in the United States filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump on Friday, demanding that construction of the massive ballroom at the White House be halted until the project receives the necessary federal approvals.
“No president is legally allowed to demolish parts of the White House without review — not President Trump, not President Biden, not anyone else.” National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States he said case In federal court in Washington.
“And no president is legally permitted to build a ballroom on public property without giving the public an opportunity to weigh in,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit argues that Trump was required to obtain legal review and approval before demolishing the White House’s historic East Wing and beginning construction of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
These inspections “should have been conducted before Defendants demolished the East Wing and began construction of the Ballroom,” the lawsuit says.
The foundation is asking the judge to declare that the project violates several laws, including the Administrative Procedure Act.
The group is also seeking a court-ordered halt to work “until the appropriate federal commissions review and approve the project’s plans, adequate environmental review is conducted, and construction of the Convention Ballroom is authorized.”
Later Friday, Judge Richard Leon scheduled a hearing for Tuesday at 3:30 pm ET on the foundation’s request for a temporary restraining order and injunction that would prevent further development of the ballroom.
In addition to Trump, the lawsuit also includes the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, the General Services Administration and their relevant department heads.
“President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate and beautify the White House, just as his predecessors did,” White House spokesman David Ingle told CNBC.
