The Supreme Court authorizes the construction of Trump's ballroom in the White House

The US Supreme Court on Monday authorized Donald Trump to continue work on the monumental ballroom he wants at the White House, with the US president celebrating the decision which, according to him, removes the last threat to his project.

By a vote of five to four, the conservative majority court definitively suspended the appeal decision that had halted construction while it considered the arguments of both parties.

The highest court in the United States ruled that the government had a good chance of having the National Trust for Historic Preservation's (NTHP) lawsuit against the construction dismissed.

Chief Justice John Roberts expressed his disagreement in a "dissenting opinion," a separate opinion joined by the three liberal justices, who believed that "this construction project is probably illegal" due to the lack of Congressional approval.

The Court's ruling does not address the merits of the case.

The NTHP's appeal against the Republican billionaire's project will still have to be judged by lower courts: a process that could take several months, or even years.

“Today, we are not ruling on the legality of the government’s plan for the East Wing. We are only concluding that, based on the arguments submitted to us, the government will probably be able to demonstrate that the Trust has no standing to challenge this plan in federal court,” the decision reads.

The "standing to sue", a condition for initiating legal action, requires the plaintiff to demonstrate that he or she is suffering direct harm.

- "Temporary Manager" -

"I am pleased to announce that the United States Supreme Court has just ruled in favor of the construction of the ballroom/military complex without any further reservations, uncertainties, or threats," the American president asserted on his Truth Social network, which will therefore be able to continue the work while awaiting a final judgment on the case.

In a statement to AFP, the NTHP said it was "deeply disappointed" by the Supreme Court's decision, while noting that it had not ruled on their "fundamental argument: each president is only a temporary head of the People's House and does not have unilateral authority to destroy and transform it without the approval of Congress."

In April, a federal court ordered a halt to work on the reception hall, while allowing the construction of an underground bunker to continue.

On August 7, an appeals court upheld this decision, ruling that such work at the White House required the explicit approval of Congress.

In October 2025, Donald Trump had an entire wing of the White House bulldozed to build a ballroom intended to accommodate up to 1,000 people for various receptions and dinners in honor of foreign dignitaries.

The Republican president claimed that the ballroom would be financed by private funds, but according to US media, the cost of this project, which could reach $600 million, would largely fall on taxpayers.

The NTHP, a non-profit organization mandated by Congress for the preservation of historic buildings, accuses the Trump administration of failing to comply with legal requirements for public inquiry, nor obtaining congressional approval for this project.