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Trump says White House ballroom ruling jeopardizes lives of future presidents, vows Supreme Court appeal
By Danielle Wallace
Published August 07, 2026
After a panel of federal judges ordered construction on the White House ballroom to stop, President Donald Trump said he will immediately appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump decried the 2-1 decision from the the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit as "horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful."
"The Circuit Court’s decision, which is totally wrong on the vital subject of STANDING, of which the plaintiff has none, severely jeopardizes the lives and welfare of the people who work, and will be working, at the White House — including all future Presidents of the United States, and their families, as well as the lives of all those visiting, such as Heads of State and other Dignitaries, and all Americans who wish to visit the historic, beautiful Executive Mansion," Trump wrote in the post.
He also accused the court of refusing to acknowledge that the ballroom, which he said is being built ahead of schedule and under budget, "is a Gift from President Trump and Great Patriots of the United States of America."
TRUMP WARNS JUDGE AGAINST SACRIFICING NATIONAL SECURITY BY BLOCKING WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM, DRONE BASE
The White House helipad and new ballroom extension under construction in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 5, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"There will be no expense to the American Taxpayer. This unjust decision must be overturned by the Supreme Court in its entirety," Trump wrote.
The appeals court on Friday upheld a lower-court decision that paused above-ground construction of the proposed 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom project, which replaced the demolished East Wing.
The earlier ruling allowed work to continue on underground national-security facilities and certain safety and security measures, a decision the higher court also upheld.
The appeals court said in its 136-page ruling that the decision to build a "massive ballroom" lies with Congress, not with the executive branch.
President Donald Trump holds a design rendering of a proposed $400 million presidential ballroom at the White House. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)
REPUBLICANS EYE PICKING UP $400M TAB FOR TRUMP'S BALLROOM AS SOME DEMS OPEN TO 'DISCUSS' IDEA
Judges Patricia Millett and Brad Garcia wrote the majority opinion, remarking that there is no precedent for what Trump has done.
"We are aware of no instance in American history in which a President unilaterally and using privately collected funds demolished substantial portions of the White House that Congress authorized to be built and American taxpayers paid for. Until now," they wrote.
The judges said their ruling does not prevent the president from building the ballroom if it is authorized by Congress in the future.
The U.S. Supreme Court as seen on February 20, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
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As Trump pointed out in his social media post, the ruling was stayed for 14 days to allow the defendants to seek a Supreme Court review.
It is not immediately clear if the Supreme Court will take up this case.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-white-house-ballroom-ruling-jeopardizes-lives-future-presidents-vows-supreme-court-appeal