The federal decide presiding over a problem to the White Home ballroom undertaking signaled deep skepticism of the Trump administration’s argument that the president has the authorized authority to undertake the East Wing renovations and to fund them with personal donations.
In a listening to on Thursday, U.S. District Courtroom Decide Richard Leon pressed an administration lawyer on each of these points — as he questioned whether or not the president has the facility to tear down a part of what he referred to as “an icon that is a nationwide establishment,” and described the intent to fund it with personal items as a “Rube Goldberg contraption” that may evade congressional oversight.
The Nationwide Belief for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit last month in search of to cease the ballroom building till the undertaking completes the federal assessment course of normal for federal constructing initiatives and the administration seeks public touch upon the proposed modifications.
Marine One, with President Donald Trump aboard, lifts off the South Garden, Jan. 13, 2026 on the White Home.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP, FILE
The Nationwide Belief, the privately funded nonprofit designated by Congress to guard historic websites, was in search of a preliminary injunction.
On the finish of the hour-long listening to Thursday, Decide Leon stated he’ll seemingly not situation a choice this month, however “hopefully” in February. He stated he expects the dropping facet to enchantment.
ABC Information has reached out to the White Home for remark in regards to the listening to.
The White Home announced the construction of a 90,000-square foot ballroom in late July, and demolition started immediately on the East Wing in late October, when employees had been noticed tearing down the wing of the White Home that contained the primary woman’s places of work.
The dimensions and value of the undertaking have elevated since first being unveiled. In November, Trump stated the undertaking would value $400 million, after an preliminary estimate of $200 million. The White Home has stated the undertaking can be funded by personal donations.
Decide Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, stated the Trump administration seems to be making an “finish run” round congressional oversight with the president’s plan to privately increase $400 million for the ballroom undertaking, and he admonished the Justice Division’s lawyer to “be severe” in justifying a authorized rationale for it.
An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White Home was demolished, Oct. 23, 2025.
Eric Lee/Getty Photos
Whereas the case presents a sequence of sophisticated and overlapping authorized points, the decide spent a lot of the listening to centered on simply two federal statutes — one, which says that no “constructing or construction” might be constructed on any federal public grounds within the District of Columbia “with out categorical authority of Congress,” and one other that requires yearly appropriations for the “upkeep, restore, alteration, refurnishing [and] enchancment” of the White Home.
Leon famous that Republicans management each homes of Congress, and that the president might have gone to lawmakers to hunt approval for the demolition and rebuild. He additionally steered the $2.5 million Congress just lately appropriated for White Home upkeep was for “very small-size initiatives,” not a ballroom.
Justice Division lawyer Yaakov Roth responded that Trump did not need $400 million in taxpayer cash for use for the undertaking, when he might solicit items to the Nationwide Park Service to fund it as a substitute. Roth additionally famous that Congress was by no means requested in Gerald Ford’s period to approve the constructing of a swimming pool, or a tennis pavilion throughout Trump’s first time period.
President Donald Trump holds a ground plan of the deliberate White Home Ballroom extension throughout a gathering with Mark Rutte, secretary basic of the North Atlantic Treaty Group (NATO), not pictured, within the Oval Workplace of the White Home, Oct. 22, 2025.
Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg by way of Getty Photos
“[Your argument for using NPS’s gift authority] on an icon that is a nationwide treasure is, what? The ’77 Gerald Ford swimming pool?” Leon requested. “You examine that to tearing down the East Wing? C’mon! Be severe.”
Leon stated he noticed “no foundation” within the legislative historical past of the park service’s present authority that may permit Trump to make use of it to boost $400 million to construct a brand new White Home ballroom. “None,” Leon stated. “Zero.”
Arguing for the Nationwide Belief, legal professional Adam Gustafson described the president as a “short-term tenant of the White Home, not the owner.” Leon steered “steward” may be a extra becoming time period.
“He’s not the proprietor,” Gustafson stated.
President Donald Trump holds a ground plan of the deliberate White Home Ballroom extension throughout a gathering with Mark Rutte, secretary basic of the North Atlantic Treaty Group (NATO), not pictured, within the Oval Workplace of the White Home, Oct. 22, 2025.
Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg by way of Getty Photos
As Roth took the rostrum to start his argument on behalf of the administration, he tried to persuade the decide that the Nationwide Belief has no standing to sue. Leon abruptly minimize him off.
“I am very snug with standing on this case,” Leon stated. “Sorry to disappoint you. You will get your probability on the Courtroom of Appeals.”
Roth warned the decide that an order halting building at this stage might expose the present White Home construction to break and probably result in safety issues, because it’s broadly believed {that a} substitute for a previously-existing underground bunker is a part of the undertaking. The Nationwide Belief has stated it will not object to continued building on the safety portion of the work.
“It may well’t be divided out that approach,” Roth stated of the security-related building, “until we would like the court docket to be the undertaking supervisor on website.”
Leon declined to situation an order from the bench. He stated the approaching winter storm made it unlikely he would situation a ruling on the Nationwide Belief’s movement for a preliminary injunction earlier than the tip of this month.
