Appeals court rules Trump's White House ballroom construction can temporarily move forward

Donald TrumpAppeals court rules Trump's White House ballroom construction can temporarily move forwardTrump's lawyers argued the ballroom is "a vital project for the safety and security of the White House and the President, his family, and his staff."Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00A federal appeals court ruled in a 2-1 decision that construction of President Donald Trump's White House ballroom could continue temporarily.  Andrew Harnik / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 11, 2026, 4:54 PM EDTBy Dareh Gregorian and Gary GrumbachA federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily allowed the construction of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom to move forward while the administration challenges a lower court order that said the project exceeds the president’s authority.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The 2-1 decision by a three-judge panel for the U.S. circuit court in Washington, D.C., means construction can continue through April 17 while the court considers the issue in more detail. A lower court judge had previously ordered the construction to cease on April 14.Trump’s lawyers have argued that the ballroom and other temporary measures are needed for “the safety and security” of the president, his family and others, according to the decision.But the ruling said the appeals court could not “fairly determine, on this hurried record,” how these issues might affect the outcome of the case.It sent the case back to the lower court with instructions to clarify these issues.U.S. District Judge Richard Leon had previously sided with a preservation group that challenged the demolition and planned reconstruction of the East Wing of the White House, finding that the president needed congressional approval for the massive, $400 million project.The administration had argued in a court filing that it’s a matter of national security for the construction...