US Supreme Court lets White House ballroom construction proceed, project to cost near $400m
The US Supreme Court has temporarily cleared the way for construction of a new White House ballroom to continue, with President Trump saying the project will cost nearly $400 million. Trump insists the entire cost is covered by private donors, not taxpayers.
US President Donald Trump has announced that a new ballroom being built at the White House will cost close to $400 million, with the entire sum funded by private donors and corporations rather than taxpayers. Trump said he expects to reveal the names of contributing companies within the coming weeks, noting most had agreed to be publicly named.
Supreme Court intervenes
The US Supreme Court issued a temporary order allowing construction to continue, arriving just hours before lower-court rulings were due to halt above-ground work on the project. Lower courts had found the work lacked congressional approval. Trump later thanked the court and its chief justice during a political appearance in South Carolina on Friday, calling the ruling a positive development.
A test of presidential authority
The case has reached the Supreme Court amid what is described as an unprecedented assertion of executive power by Trump, who has increasingly sought to reshape the capital according to his own vision. His administration argues the president holds absolute authority to modify the White House and other federal properties at will, and maintains the ballroom project must proceed on national security grounds. Notably, when Trump first unveiled the plans, he made no mention of national security, instead describing it as a privately funded initiative backed by himself and other donors.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation disputes that the president has unilateral authority to carry out the construction, which has already involved demolishing the White House's East Wing. The organisation's legal counsel has accused the administration of trying to speed up work in order to outpace the courts. The full Supreme Court is expected to next consider whether construction can continue while the broader legal dispute proceeds. Trump welcomed the court's decision on social media, claiming the project remains under budget and ahead of schedule.
