Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom is being challenged in court by a preservation group that accuses the president of overstepping his authority to fast-track the controversial project.
Weeks after Trump demolished the historic East Wing of the White House to make way for the $300 million ballroom, the National Trust Preservation Committee has filed the first major lawsuit attempting to halt further construction until a “legally mandated review process” can take place.
This would include a public comment period, giving Americans the chance to have a say in the future of the much-loved building.
“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever—not President Trump, not President Biden, not anyone else,” says the group’s complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
“And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.
“President Trump’s efforts to do so should be immediately halted, and work on the ballroom project should be paused until the defendants complete the required reviews—reviews that should have taken place before the defendants demolished the East Wing, and before they began construction of the ballroom—and secure the necessary approvals."
The new ballroom will be privately funded by Trump and various ultra-wealthy corporate donors, including Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Palantir. Many of these companies benefit from lucrative government contracts or government deregulation.
Once built, the 90,000-square-foot space will accommodate up to 1,000 guests and dwarf the main White House building, which is about 55,000 square feet.
Much of the White House precinct has been demolished to make way for the project, including the East Wing offices that housed generations of First Ladies, Jackie Kennedy’s garden, the colonnade that led to the Executive Mansion, and the White House cinema and gift shop.
The National Trust, a nonprofit organization established by Congress to help preserve historic buildings, argues that by fast-tracking the project, Trump committed multiple violations of the Administrative Procedures Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
The group also argues that the president overstepped his constitutional authority by failing to seek congressional approval for a project of this scale.
However, the White House insists that Trump did not need to submit construction plans to the National Capital Planning Commission—which oversees major renovations of federal buildings in Washington—to demolish the East Wing.
In July, the president also quietly appointed some of his top aides to the National Capital Planning Commission, including White House staff secretary William Scharf, who now serves as its chair.
Scharf, who is known around D.C. as “the folder guy” for his role in handing Executive Order folders to Trump during signing ceremonies, was appointed days before Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced plans for the ballroom on July 31.
Two other Trump aides, Michael James Blair, who is a White House deputy chief of staff, and Stuart Levenbach, who works in the Office of Management and Budget headed by “Grim Reaper” Russell Vought, were also appointed to the Commission.
“President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House—just like all of his predecessors did,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said on Friday.
But National Trust president and chief executive Carol Quillen disagreed.
“The White House is arguably the most evocative building in our country and a globally recognized symbol of our powerful American ideals,” Quillen said.
“Submitting the project to the National Capital Planning Commission for review protects the iconic historic features of the White House campus as it evolves.
“Inviting comments from the American people signals respect and helps ensure a lasting legacy that befits a government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
