By Sam Barron | Thursday, 16 April 2026 05:52 PM EDT
President Donald Trump on Thursday condemned U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s decision to block aboveground construction of his proposed White House ballroom, labeling the ruling politically motivated and a threat to national security.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Judge Leon of being “a Trump Hating, Washington, D.C. District Court Judge” who has “gone out of his way to undermine National Security.” He stated that the judge’s actions threaten future presidents and world leaders from having “a safe and secure large scale Meeting Place,” emphasizing that the White House ballroom—which he claims would feature “Bomb Shelters, a State of the Art Hospital and Medical Facilities, Protective Partitioning, Top Secret Military Installations, Structures, and Equipment, Protective Missile Resistant Steel, Columns, Roofs, and Beams, Drone Proof Ceilings and Roofs, Military Grade Venting, and Bullet, Ballistic, and Blast Proof Glass”—is “deeply important to our National Security.”
U.S. District Judge Leon issued his ruling Thursday, continuing to block aboveground work on the $400 million project at the site where the East Wing of the White House was demolished. The decision responds to an appeals court’s request to clarify a prior ruling on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
The administration announced it would appeal the ruling. Trump asserted that “the Ballroom, which is being constructed on budget and ahead of schedule, is needed now,” noting that “Almost all material necessary for its construction is being built and/or on its way to the site, ready for installation and erection.”
Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued to challenge the project, expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling. Trump countered that “The Public Record was open for all to see,” adding: “This highly political Judge, and his illegal overreach, is out of control, and costing our Nation greatly.”
Government lawyers argued the project includes critical security features to guard against threats such as drones, ballistic missiles, and biohazards. In a previous order, Leon barred aboveground work without congressional approval but ruled that construction necessary for White House safety is exempt from the injunction.
The preservation group filed its lawsuit in December after the White House completed demolition of the East Wing to make way for the ballroom, which Trump stated would fit 999 people. Trump maintained that the project is funded by private donations, though public funds cover bunker construction and security upgrades.
