Trump White House Ballroom

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to suspend construction of a $400 million ballroom after it demolished the East Wing of the White House. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a preservationist group’s request for a preliminary injunction that temporarily halts President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project. Leon wrote that the president is a steward of the White House, not its owner, and said the project needs congressional approval. The ruling was the first major rebuke of Trump’s sweeping efforts to overhaul the White House. It wasn’t immediately clear what it would mean for the sprawling project. The Trump administration filed a notice to appeal Leon's ruling and Trump himself argued that congressional approval wasn't necessary.