Nonprofit pushes SCOTUS to keep Trump’s ballroom on pause

The National Trust for Historic Preservation says the president has no authority to destroy a third of the White House and replace it with a privately funded ballroom.WASHINGTON (CN) — A nonprofit group told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is accelerating construction on the White House to put his “illegal ballroom” beyond judicial intervention for good.The National Trust for Historic Preservation called on the justices to uphold a lower court pause, arguing Trump needs congressional approval to continue work on the project.“‘[O]wned by the American people,’ the White House is ‘more than the president’s residence;’ it is integral to the ‘national discourse about what it means to be American,’” the nonprofit wrote.Trump filed an emergency application last week seeking to restart work on the 90,000-square-foot structure. The government railed against judges trying “to seize control of construction at the president’s home and office,” arguing the justices should allow the project to continue “for the sake of the president’s safety, the continuity of government, and the separation of powers.”But the National Trust pointed to a “safety-and-security exception” from the lower court allowing continued work on a massive military complex under the ballroom. The nonprofit said there was no urgent need to move forward with construction on the ballroom — which won’t be usable for years — while litigation continued.“Petitioners suffer no cognizable harm from being unable to exercise powers the Constitution affirmatively denies them or by being unable to convert their illegal project into a fait accompli before the courts can review it,” the nonprofit wrote.Trump demolished the East Wing of the White House last year to build a structure for hosting VIP guests during large events. The president pitched the project as a solution to the “large and unsightly tent” typically erected on White House grounds for events like state dinners.A rendering of President Trump's East Wing ballroom was included in an emergency filing at the U.S. Supreme Court on Aug. 14, 2026. (U.S. Supreme Court via Courthouse News)The National Trust, chartered by Congress in 1949 to facilitate public participation in the preservation of historical sites, sued to block the project, arguing the White House was abusing its authority under federal statutes governing ordinary maintenance and repairs on the executive building.In response, the White House has stressed national security concerns, pointing to the underground military bunker. The administration said these renovations will include bomb shelters, medical facilities and other reinforcements to protect the president and senior officials from threats ranging from drone strikes to chemical attacks.According to the White House, the military complex will serve as a “safe room” for the presidency and continuity of government. Trump claims the concrete used in the project is “the hardest and strongest concrete there is, the type used in nuclear power plants — it is impermeable, and virtually impossible to deconstruct.”And Trump claimed there would be no way to take down or alter the project if the court ordered him to do so.The National Trust cited these assertions for why the Supreme Court needed to uphold the injunction.“Petitioners make no secret of the fact that if the court permits construction to continue, they will declare the case over,” the nonprofit wrote. “The injuries to the National Trust, its members, and the public from the unauthorized construction of the ballroom — catalogued by petitioners’ own Environmental Assessment and already found to be irreparable by the lower courts — will in all likelihood become irreversible.”The Constitution gave Congress authority over federal property. Therefore, the National Trust said Trump should have asked lawmakers for permission to build his ballroom, not the justices.“If petitioners believe there is a pressing need for a ballroom, nothing prevents them from asking Congress for one — today, tomorrow, or any time in the future,” the nonprofit wrote. “But petitioners’ efforts to foil judicial review and arrogate Congress’s exclusive powers should not be rewarded with a stay that allows petitioners to complete a ballroom they lacked any authority to commence in the first place.”According to the government, Congress authorized presidents to conduct White House renovations under a statue appropriating funds for the upkeep of the executive residence. Last year, lawmakers allocated almost $2.5 million for required maintenance.In July 2025, the White House estimated the project would cost $200 million and be completely funded by private donors. Over the subsequent months, the price tag of the ballroom ballooned, ratcheting up to around $400 million by the president’s own estimates.The White House maintains that zero taxpayer money will be spent on the ballroom. According to Trump, the project will be funded by $400 million in private donations.But the total cost of the project could reach $600 million, according to records obtained by the Washington Post, which found taxpayers would foot over half of the bill. While the White House released a list of 37 donors who contributed to the project, the contributions — collected by the park service and transferred to the executive residence — have mostly been kept out of the public eye.Additional reporting revealed Trump’s total White House construction costs, including construction of a helipad, new visitor screening area and upgrades to Lafayette Square, could exceed $900 million.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads