President Donald Trump’s administration made a last-ditch Supreme Court push on Wednesday to keep construction of his $400 million White House ballroom moving before an injunction halting most above-ground work takes effect Friday.
Trump Links Ballroom To National Security
Solicitor General D. John Sauer said the ballroom is inseparable from a broader military-security complex. “Every day the President does not have access to the vital security features of the military complex presents unacceptable risk, no matter how long the Project takes to complete,” Sauer wrote in a filing to the court.
“Built with integrated engineering, the Project will provide in a very large way, a ‘safe room’ for the Presidency and the continuity of government,” he added. Trump has repeatedly framed the ballroom as a security project, calling it Wednesday “the greatest military complex slash ballroom anywhere in the world.” The President has earlier said that the structure will include anti-drone technology.
The administration says the project is about 65% complete, with a 250-person crew working 20 hours a day, seven days a week. Its Supreme Court filing says the concrete-and-steel structure reaches 70 feet above ground, occupies nearly 50,000 square feet and is “beyond the point of return.” Trump previously said the expanded project should cost “something less than” $400 million.
Appeals Court Says Congress Must Decide
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued after Trump ordered the East Wing demolished in 2025 to make way for the planned ballroom. A divided D.C. Circuit upheld an injunction blocking above-ground construction unless Congress authorizes it, while permitting underground bunkers, military installations and medical facilities to continue.
The court said building the ballroom “is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help.” The Trust accused the administration of trying “to outrun judicial review.”
Sauer countered that congressional approval would give “Congress dangerous leverage over the President” when structural vulnerabilities emerge. He also challenged the Trust’s standing, arguing its theory could give tourists and online viewers a “spectator’s veto” over government construction.
Supreme Court Faces Friday Construction Deadline
The ballroom litigation has repeatedly moved through federal court. The Supreme Court could act before the injunction takes effect Aug. 21 as Trump seeks a stay while preparing a full appeal.
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