A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has issued an order temporarily blocking the construction of President Donald Trump’s expansive new White House ballroom and any further demolition of the East Wing.
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“I have concluded that the National Trust is likely to succeed on the merits because no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have,” wrote U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon, an appointee of President George W. Bush.
The ruling blocks the administration “from taking any action in furtherance of the physical development of the proposed ballroom at the former site of the East Wing of the White House, including but not limited to any further demolition, site preparation work, landscape alteration, excavation, foundation work, or other construction or related work, other than actions strictly necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House and its grounds.”
Leon paused his order from taking effect for 14 days to allow time for appeal.
The judge issued the preliminary injunction after agreeing with the plaintiffs in the case that Trump exceeded his authority with the project.
Leon wrote that 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 that “unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!”
Comcast Corp., the parent company of NBCUniversal, donated to the ballroom project.
Shortly after Leon’s ruling was released, Trump complained on social media about the plaintiff in the case, the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, calling it “a Radical Left Group of Lunatics.”
He wrote in the Truth Social post that the $400 million project “is under budget, ahead of schedule, being built at no cost to the Taxpayer, and will be the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
