Trump asks Supreme Court to let White House ballroom construction
continue during appeal
[August 15, 2026]
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and LINDSAY WHITEHURST
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday
asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the White House to continue
construction on its $400 million ballroom project while it appeals a
lower court’s order to halt the work.
Trump’s solicitor general petitioned the high court to suspend last
week’s decision by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia Circuit. Chief Justice John Roberts set a
deadline of Tuesday for a response by plaintiffs challenging the
ballroom project.
The divided appeals court panel ruled last week Trump must stop the
White House ballroom’s construction because Congress has not approved
the project. The panel’s majority said Trump doesn’t have the unilateral
authority to build a 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom
where the White House’s East Wing stood before he ordered its demolition
last fall.
The lower court suspended its own ruling for two weeks to give Trump's
Republican administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court. Solicitor
General D. John Sauer asked the Supreme Court to rule on its stay
petition before the appeals court panel’s decision takes effect on Aug.
21.
"This case involves an extraordinary and unlawful injunction that will
halt the ongoing construction of the integrated military complex,
including a totally secure ballroom space, at the East Wing of the White
House, which is vitally required by national security,” Sauer wrote.
Friday's court filing includes the administration's first confirmation
that a threatened missile attack on Air Force One prompted the Secret
Service to secretly fly Trump out of Turkey last month on an alternate
military aircraft. In arguing for the need for a secure ballroom space,
the filing cites “the threat of a missile attack against Air Force One
on July 8” in a list of recent assassination attempts against Trump.
The filing also asserts that the project is “on time and under budget”
with approximately $400 million in private donations obviating the need
for any taxpayer dollars to be spent. However, Democrats in Congress
have said it appears that funds from Trump's “ big, beautiful ” tax cuts
bill appear to be paying for ballroom work. The administration also has
requested additional funding from Congress for the project, but
lawmakers haven’t approved it.
In April, a district court judge ordered a stop to aboveground
construction of the planned ballroom. But the judge stressed that the
White House was free to proceed with underground work, including the
construction of any bunkers, military installations and medical
facilities.
The D.C. Circuit panel’s 2-1 decision upheld an order to pause
aboveground construction on the project, siding with historic
preservationists who sued to stop construction of the ballroom.
“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress
to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” wrote the
majority's two judges, both appointed by Democratic presidents.
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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)
A third judge disagreed, finding that the preservationist group that
challenged the project had no legal right to sue.
“The district court elevated the aesthetic displeasure of a single
passerby over the government’s security interests in the ballroom,”
wrote Judge Neomi Rao, who was appointed by Trump.
The Trump administration argues that the president, not Congress or
the courts, has unimpeded authority to renovate the White House. The
current state of the project, essentially an open construction site,
makes it harder to protect the White House, the Justice Department
contends.
The administration also says the National Trust for Historic
Preservation does not have the legal right, or standing, to sue over
the ballroom, which is part of Trump’s plans to quickly remake
Washington. The solicitor general said the ballroom project “should
be a matter for the President and the political process, not
construction-by-injunction.”
In response to the petition, the trust accused the White House of
trying to “outrun the courts" by accelerating construction work,
pointing to the administration's plans to install 1 million pounds
of rebar and pour another 3,000 cubic yards of concrete in the next
week alone.
“The Administration’s transparent efforts to evade the rule of law,
frustrate judicial review, and limit the availability of meaningful
relief in the courts must stop here,” the plaintiffs said in a
statement.
During an appeals court hearing in early June, an administration
lawyer defended a broad view of presidential control over iconic
public facilities. The government could bulldoze the Statue of
Liberty and the White House, Justice Department lawyer Yaakov Roth
said in response to a hypothetical question, and the descendants of
immigrants who came through Ellis Island and the enslaved people who
built the White House would not have standing to sue.
The D.C. Circuit panel upheld a ruling by U.S. District Judge
Richard Leon, who was nominated by Republican President George W.
Bush. Leon concluded that a pause wouldn’t jeopardize national
security. He also exempted any construction work that is necessary
for the safety and security of the White House.
The ballroom has been under construction for 10 months. The
administration says the work is roughly 65% finished.
“Given those developments, the injunction promises chaos in service
of nothing,” Sauer wrote.
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