Building of Trump's White House ballroom can resume in full, appeals court says

Construction at the White House is expected to continue until the next hearing, due in June. All construction of Trump's White House ballroom can resume, appeals court says Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Demolition of the White House East Wing began in October The side view of the White House that shows a wrecker machine out front, on a large pile of rubble. In the foreground there is other machinery for demotion and some green trees. Building of Trump's White House ballroom can resume in full, appeals court says Construction of the underground and above ground portions of US President Donald Trump's White House ballroom will be allowed to continue, an appeals court has ruled. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia granted an administrative stay after the Trump administration appealed against US District Judge Richard Leon's decision to halt above-ground construction on Thursday. Construction is now expected to continue until the next hearing, which is due to take place on 5 June. This week's rulings came after the appeals court ordered the judge to reconsider the national security implications of halting the work after he temporarily blocked all construction of the ballroom in March. The ruling marks a victory for the president in his effort to redesign the storied American structure. Leon said on Thursday that he thought the project required congressional approval, adding that the administration reclassifying the ballroom plans as vital for national security appeared to be an attempted work around. "National security is not a blank cheque to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity," he wrote. Following the ruling, Trump took to Truth Social to accuse the judge of "attempting to prevent future Presidents and World Leaders from having a safe and secure large scale Meeting Place". Two annotated images of the White House complex. The top aerial view labels the West Wing, South Lawn, White House residence, and an area marked ‘East Wing demolished.’ The bottom image, dated 23 October, shows the White House residence from the front with the former East Wing area highlighted "It's all tied together as one big, expensive, and very complex unit, which is vital for National Security and Military Operations of the United States of America!" he wrote, adding that the underground complex would include bomb shelters and medical facilities. He also said that the ballroom was "needed now" and that "no judge can be allowed to stop" it. The Justice Department filed an appeal against Leon's ruling on Thursday, arguing it "would imperil the president and national security and indefinitely leave a large hole beside the Executive Residence". The BBC has contacted the White House for comment. The judge temporarily halted the construction project in late March, ruling that proper procedures were not followed before it had begun. That decision came after the White House was sued by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The preservation group's lawsuit, filed last year, alleges that the White House broke the law when it started construction on the ballroom and bunker without filing plans with the National Capital Planning Commission and by declining to seek authorisation from Congress. The East Wing of the White House, constructed in 1902, was demolished in October to make way for the multi-million-dollar ballroom, which will have capacity for 1,350 guests. The White House has said the project was expected to cost $400m (£302m) and was being funded entirely by private donors. The White House with a wrecker machine out front, on a pile of rubble Judge halts above-ground construction of Trump's White House ballroom Judge temporarily halts construction of Trump's White House ballroom The discussion is a sign the AI firm's technology may be too critical for even the US government to do without. The judge allows the underground bunker portion of the project to proceed, while the US president says the ballroom "is needed now". The gambling platforms have grown in popularity, with some users making wagers on conflicts. The pontiff says his remarks have been misinterpreted after a spat with the US president. The criminal case against the actor was dismissed in 2024. Iran is blaming a US blockade for the closure, saying it breaches the ceasefire reached between the two countries. The Congolese government stresses those expelled from the US are only in the country temporarily. The Scottish 24-year-old admits defrauding at least a dozen companies and their employees across the US.