Wire flash
PoliticsSupreme Court allows Trump to continue White House ballroom construction
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
- Automatically published source-backed update
The U.S. Supreme Court, via Chief Justice John Roberts, issued an administrative stay on August 22, 2026, allowing President Donald Trump to continue construction of a controversial ballroom at the White House. The stay blocked a federal district court injunction that had halted the project amid a lawsuit. Trump had the White House's East Wing demolished in 2025 without notifying Congress to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom projected to cost $400 million or more. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is suing to block the project, arguing Trump lacked required authorization. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the Supreme Court's action as rubber-stamping corruption and wasteful spending. Trump defended the project as vital for national security.
Source report
Construction of a new ballroom continues at the White House on August 18, 2026 in Washington, DC. Win Mcnamee | Getty Images
The Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Donald Trump, for now, to continue construction on his controversial White House ballroom project.
Chief Justice John Roberts, in an order, stayed a federal district court judge's injunction that had barred Trump from continuing construction while a lawsuit challenging the ballroom project played out.
Roberts' order came on the same day the injunction was scheduled to take effect. The order is an administrative stay, which could be lifted by the entire Supreme Court.
Reactions
President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social:
"We are grateful for the Decision of the United States Supreme Court. The Military/Ballroom Complex being built on the hallowed grounds of the White House, which is so vital for National Security, will be THE GREATEST OF ITS KIND!"
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., blasted the Supreme Court's action in a post on X:
"The MAGA Supreme Court is rubber stamping Trump's vanity-driven, gilded corruption. As costs skyrocket, the administration is wasting money on an endless and illegal war, corporate giveaways, and Trump's pet projects."
Schumer added: "Democrats are laser focused on the issues that Americans care about. We will continue to fight this flagrant waste of taxpayer money relentlessly in the courts."
Background
Trump in 2025 had the White House's East Wing demolished, without notifying Congress, to make way for the planned 90,000 square-foot ballroom, which is projected to cost $400 million or more.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is suing Trump to block the project on the grounds that Trump did not obtain required authorization or reviews for it.
Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.
Source
US Top News and AnalysisWestern
Part of this Story
Supreme Court 5-4 ruling allows Trump to continue White House ballroom construction