The White House helipad and new ballroom extension under construction in Washington DC on 5 August 2026 The Trump administration has been ordered to stop construction on President Donald Trump's $400m (£297m) ballroom at the White House. A federal appeals court dealt the latest setback to the controversial project on Friday, testing Trump's presidential authority and paving the way for a Supreme Court showdown on appeal. "Whether or not a ⁠massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help," the panel's ​majority said. The order upholds a preliminary ​injunction won by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued after the administration tore down the ​East Wing last year to begin the project without congressional approval. "Congress has not ceded unfettered authority to the Executive Branch to dramatically redesign, reshape, and reconstruct the White House — the People's ​House — to fit a particular President's desires," the panel said. The three-judge panel, in a 2-1 decision, said: "Each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House and its Executive Residence." "The President has no — and claims no — constitutionally assigned authority over that property, which is designed and maintained for the use of all Presidents, current and future, and for the American people," the opinion said.