Judge orders halt to Trump's White House ballroom construction

DUBAI 22°CGOLD/FOREXPRAYER TIMESNEWSLETTERSLOGIN GOLD/FOREXDUBAI 22°CPRAYER TIMES WORLDWORLDGULFMENAEUROPEAFRICAAMERICASASIAAUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALANDCORRECTIONS World / AmericasJudge orders halt to Trump's White House ballroom constructionJudge rules president overstepped authority in tearing down historic East Wing A US judge on Tuesday ordered a halt to construction of President Donald Trump's massive White House ballroom, which has already seen the historic East Wing completely torn down. Trump is "steward" of the White House but "he is not, however, the owner!" wrote Judge Richard Leon, saying that congressional approval would be needed for the project. Leon was ruling in response to a legal challenge from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, a nonprofit organization which seeks to protect historic buildings. Trump's $10b lawsuit vs IRS over leaks: What to know No reason to halt Trump's ballroom project: Judge Trump completes demolition of White House East Wing Photos of the White House's East Wing, then and now Trump, a billionaire real estate developer, has made no secret of his passion for the ballroom project. "He's so wrong," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, when asked about the ruling. He insisted Congress did not need to be involved in the project, particularly because it is to be paid by donors and not taxpayers. Underlining its high importance, his administration filed an appeal just hours after the ruling was issued. Trump shocked many last year by having an entire section of the White House abruptly bulldozed, claiming there has long been a need for a new large-scale events center on the property. Since then, the 79-year-old Republican has rarely missed an opportunity to discuss the project, frequently meandering in mid-speech on other topics to riff about the architectural details of the proposed facility. On Tuesday, Trump railed on social media against the National Trust, calling the group "a Radical Left Group of Lunatics." The ballroom would be "the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World," he insisted. The ballroom would be Trump's biggest mark yet on the US capital since his return to office in January 2025. The president has plastered the famed Oval Office in gold decorations, paved over the Rose Garden, and emblazoned his own name on the Kennedy Arts Center. Trump says that the cost of the ballroom -- initially proposed at $200 million but now estimated as much as $400 million -- is being met by private donors, including his wealthy supporters and a slew of corporations. Leon's scathing opinion said that the decision for the project rested with Congress, which should also decide how it could be funded. "Ballroom construction project must stop until Congress authorizes its completion," Leon wrote, offering a two-week delay to his order to allow Trump to appeal. "No statute comes close to giving the president the authority he claims to have." "The President may at any time go to Congress to obtain express authority to construct a ballroom and to do so with private funds. Indeed, Congress may even choose to appropriate funds for the ballroom," Leon wrote. "Either way, Congress will thereby retain its authority over the nation's property and its oversight over the Government's spending." Trump's war goals unmet as he eyes Iran wind-down Reliance backs first new US oil refinery in 50 years US Senate rejects bid to curb Trump's Iran war powers Did Trump overstep US war powers law in Iran attack?