Supreme Court's chief justice allows work on Trump’s $400M White House
ballroom to continue for now
[August 22, 2026]
By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday allowed the White
House to continue construction on President Donald Trump’s $400 million
ballroom project for now, as the Supreme Court considers the Trump
administration's emergency request to intervene in lawsuits over the
project.
The temporary order came hours before lower-court rulings would have
forced a halt to aboveground construction of the project because Trump
didn't get congressional approval.
It will remain in place until the Supreme Court issues a more durable
decision, though the one-page document does not detail Roberts'
reasoning or indicate when another ruling will be handed down. Roberts
signed the order because he oversees emergency appeals of cases filed in
the capital.
Trump thanked the high court and the chief justice during his remarks
later Friday during a political appearance in South Carolina.
“When they say proceed, I think that's a good thing. That's a good
thing,” Trump said.
Ballroom case tests the limits of presidential power
The case is coming before the nation’s highest court as Trump, a
Republican, exercises unparalleled assertions of presidential power and
increasingly seeks to mold the capital in his own image.
The administration has argued that the president has total authority to
renovate the White House and other federal buildings as he sees fit and
that the ballroom project must be completed due to national security
concerns.
When Trump first announced the plans for a new ballroom, he did not
emphasize national security. He said the project would be funded by
private donations, including from himself.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation argues that Trump has no
unilateral authority to undertake the work, which has included
demolishing the East Wing. Lawyers for the preservation group accused
the White House of trying to “outrun the courts” by accelerating
construction.
A spokesperson for the trust said Friday that the order from Roberts is
not a final decision and the group is awaiting further action. The full
Supreme Court will likely weigh in next on whether construction can
continue for the potentially long duration of the lawsuit.
Trump said his administration is grateful for Friday's decision, writing
in a social media post that the project is “under budget and ahead of
schedule.”
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Artist renderings relating to White House Ballroom construction,
contained in a filing by the Trump administration to the U.S.
Supreme Court, are photographed Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon
Elswick)
While litigation plays out, the ballroom is going up quickly
The Trump administration says 65% of the work has already been
completed on the planned 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter)
ballroom, where the East Wing stood before the president ordered its
demolition.
Crews are working 20 hours a day, seven days a week, on the project,
where about $200 million in private donations has been spent or
committed, according to court documents filed by the Justice
Department.
The work has proceeded against the backdrop of the litigation
winding through the courts.
In April, a district court judge ordered a stop to the aboveground
construction of the planned ballroom. That ruling was briefly
suspended, then upheld by an appeals court panel. U.S. District
Judge Richard Leon in Washington allowed work to continue only
belowground on bunkers and military installations. Leon was
nominated by President George W. Bush, a Republican.
Leon's decision was upheld by an appeals court panel, as two judges
appointed by Democratic presidents found the project was for
Congress to decide and “not a matter for Executive self-help.” A
third judge, appointed by Trump, found that the preservationist
group challenging the project had no legal standing to sue.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer picked up on that argument, calling
the decision halting the work “extraordinary and unlawful.” He said
the completion of the project was “vitally required by national
security.”
The Trump administration has scored a series of victories on the
Supreme Court's emergency docket, though the justices have ruled
against some of the president’s signature policies after fuller
review.
___
Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this
report.
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