US judge orders Trump to halt $400m White House ballroom project

[LetMyPeopleVote]

US president demolished East Wing of White House last year to make way for 90,000-sq-ft project

US judge orders Donald Trump to halt 0m White House ballroom project

— Guardian US (@us.theguardian.com) 2026-03-31T19:22:32.078Z

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/31/judge-blocks-trump-white-house-ballroom-plan

A US judge has blocked Donald Trump from proceeding with the construction of his $400m White House ballroom.

The US president demolished the East Wing of the White House last year to make way for the project.

US district judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a request for a preliminary injunction by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a non-profit organization that brought a lawsuit alleging Trump exceeded his authority when he razed the historic East Wing and launched construction without approval from Congress.

The decision by Leon, an appointee of Republican president George W Bush, keeps the 90,000-sq-ft ballroom project on hold while the lawsuit continues.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. This ruling made me smile-Judge Richard Leon drops at least 18 of his trademark exclamation points

Link to tweet

"After all, the White House does not belong to any one man - not even a president!"

Judge Richard Leon drops at least 18 of his trademark exclamation points in ordering a stop to construction on Trump's White House ballroom (delays enforcement for 14 days so DOJ can appeal)
https://buff.ly/WG6ktOX

[LetMyPeopleVote]

11. Counting explanation marks in this opinion

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[malaise]

2. Good! K & R

Important

[sop]

3. I still can't get over the fact Trump demolished the entire East Wing of the White House without any authorization,

and no one in a position of authority has done shit about it. Judges keep granting injunctions, and Trump keeps on wiping his ass with them. WTF is going on in this country?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. Judge halts construction on Trump's White House ballroom

The planned $400 million project has been a priority for the president.

Link to tweet

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/03/31/judge-trump-white-house-ballroom

A federal judge ordered a halt to construction of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, ruling that Trump lacks authority to fund the estimated $400 million project through private donations.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon disagreed with the Trump administration’s argument that the president has broad authority to make changes to the White House, including on the scale of his planned, 90,000-square-foot ballroom.

“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” Leon wrote in a 35-page ruling issued Tuesday afternoon. He said that “no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have.”....

Lawyers for the National Trust, which is charged by Congress with preserving historic buildings, also focused on Trump’s decision to solicit private donations, saying that the project needed express authorization by Congress.

“Rather than admit that none exists, the Defendants invent a Rube Goldberg machine” to justify proceeding with the project without express congressional approval, the National Trust’s lawyers argued in court filings in January.

[OC375]

5. He'll get bored and move on

He hates the White House, and it's quite obvious. To him it's just a power suit, and one he wants to say he owns, but does not wear. I'd be shocked if the real bunker isn't already in Florida somewhere.

[senseandsensibility]

6. According to Aaron Rupar

he his throwing an absolute fit about it online now.

[OC375]

7. OF course, kids throw tantrums. Then they take a crap, a nap and want a snack and a new toy.

[MineralMan]

8. HaHa!

[thucythucy]

9. Wait a minute. Now it's FOUR hundred million?

Last I checked it was 300 million dollars.

Just another example of "fiscally responsible" Republican leadership.

It amazes me that so many people still think Republicans are good with budgets, especially when the last time we had a Federal budget SURPLUS was under President Clinton.

Four hundred million for a vanity ballroom, two hundred million for a cos-play cowgirl's ad campaign, and how many millions for Kegs-breath's Alaska king crab and high end steaks?

Oh, and a billion dollars they just paid to a French company NOT to build some wind turbines.

But we simply don't have the money to provide quality health care for all. Not when we're waging an improv war at a billion plus dollars a day.

How the ever-loving fuck do these people get away with it, time after time after time?

[BannonsLiver]

10. If the ballroom is built it needs to be renamed after he's gone.

I’d vote for it to be named after a prominent black historical figure, like MLK, or Sojourner Truth. It would serve 2 functions. One, it would honor the contributions of enslaved people who built the WH. Two, it would drive Trump and maga absolutely cray cray.

[Rhiannon12866]

13. Jesse Jackson!

[slumcamper]

12. Inconsequential. Authoritarian regimes ignore conventional institutional constraints. Solution: REVOLUTION. n/t

Hi

[Celerity]

15. May you someday get to glamp!

[erronis]

14. Easy solution. Just call it "The Trump Throne Room". A 90,000 sq. ft. bathroom with an extra wide toilet.

This crapper will have a 100 gallon tank and 1 foot throat for his huuge turds.

Stand back when he pushes the big red button!