Trump asks Supreme Court to let White House ballroom construction continue during appeal

On Wednesday, August 5, 2026, the White House ballroom construction proceeded in Washington, D.C., according to an Associated Press report. President Donald Trump's administration sought permission from the U.S. Supreme Court to continue the $400 million project while it appeals a recent lower court ruling to halt work. Trump's solicitor general petitioned the high court to suspend the three-judge panel's decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The divided panel ruled last week that Trump could not proceed with the ballroom's construction, as Congress had not approved the project. The majority argued that the president did not have the power to build the 90,000-square-foot ballroom in the former location of the East Wing, which was demolished by Trump last fall. The lower court temporarily halted its ruling for two weeks to allow Trump's Republican administration to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The solicitor general argued that the injunction would halt the construction of a vital secure ballroom space required for national security purposes. The lower court's 2-1 decision favored historic preservationists who sued to stop the ballroom's construction. The administration maintains that the president, not Congress or the courts, holds unimpeded authority to renovate the White House.

The current open construction site poses a risk to the White House's protection, contends the Justice Department.