AdvertisementAdvertisementThe White House is viewed from the Old Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Feb 25, 2026, in Washington. (Photo: AP/Tom Brenner)01 Apr 2026 11:32AM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST WASHINGTON: A US judge on Tuesday (Mar 31) 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 organisation that seeks to protect historic buildings.Trump, a billionaire real estate developer, has made no secret of his passion for the ballroom project.Show MoreShow Less"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 centre 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 White House, including the West Wing and construction of the new ballroom, is seen from the Old Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)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 US$200 million but now estimated as much as US$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 authorises 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."Source: AFP/fhSign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST