Trump Praises Judge for Allowing $400 Million White House Ballroom Project To Proceed

President Donald Trump did a victory lap after a federal judge said construction on the new ballroom can continue—this after a preservation group filed a lawsuit to try and temporarily stop the project.

"We just won the case today," Trump told visitors at a White House Hanukkah reception Tuesday. "We got sued. We're donating a $400 million ballroom, and we got sued not to build it."

The $400 million price tag on the construction project has increased since the plan was first unveiled this past summer. Though, Trump said he will try to do it for less.

Trump went on to say it will have 5-inch-thick glass windows that he says will be "impenetrable" and will be the "greatest ballroom anywhere in the world" and "will fit beautifully with the White House."

"I thank the judge in the case for the courage in making the proper decision because we didn't want to be held up," Trump said.

Legal block avoided

Both sides were in court Dec. 16 after the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States filed a lawsuit saying "No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever."

In a Dec. 15 court filing, the Trump Administration says the plans for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom are a matter of "national security." It says the "sensitive and classified information that would be contained in
the declaration cannot be publicly filed or shared with opposing counsel without compromising
the interests of national security."

Rather, "it claims the project would cause 'no significant impact' to the surrounding environment and vowed that the White House would seek input from key agencies that review federal construction projects before above-ground work begins next year," ABC News reports.

The preservation group's lawsuit added, "...no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in. President Trump’s efforts to do so should be immediately halted, and work on the Ballroom Project should be paused until the Defendants complete the required reviews—reviews that should have taken place before the Defendants demolished the East Wing, and before they began construction of the Ballroom—and secure the necessary approvals."

Attorneys for the Justice Department argued that the White House has seen several additions, renovations, and alterations over the past two centuries by past residents of the executive mansion—and "the president has the legal authority to demolish the former East Wing and add a ballroom without seeking congressional or executive branch approval," according to ABC News.

The lawsuit also claimed that the planned size of the ballroom is "already out of proportion to the rest of the White House' and appears to "increase substantially."

Construction showdown

The White House ballroom construction project started in October when demolition crews brought in heavy machinery and began tearing down the East Wing ballroom. The East Wing was built in 1902 and has been renovated and changed may times—adding a second story in 1942.

The ballroom demolition started right in the middle of a government shutdown with Trump insisting that he and private donors are funding the project.

The cost has ballooned from $200 million to $300 million (and, now the most recent $400 million cost), but the president says it's needed to host state dinners for a larger crowd. The former ballroom only sat about 200 people. The new ballroom is expected to hold nearly 1,000.

Earlier in December, President Trump hired a new architect to oversee the design after reports say he clashed over the proposed size of the event space—which will be almost double the size of the White House.

White House officials confirmed Thursday that Trump has replaced James McCrery II, the man he handpicked to oversee the creation of the 90,000-square-foot addition, and his eponymous architecture firm, with Shalom Baranes, a designer who has previous experience working on government buildings.

CNN reports that "White House officials had grumbled in recent weeks" that the progress of the project was being hampered by the disagreement between Trump and McCrery, who is said to have voiced serious concerns that the finished ballroom would dwarf the 55,000-square-foot White House.

White House projects

This isn't President Trump's first major project since taking office for a second term on Jan. 20, 2025.

He gave the Rose Garden a redesign much to the dismay of critics who did not want an overhaul of the space that was installed in 1913 by first lady Ellen Louise Wilson, wife of President Woodrow Wilson.

The grassy space was one of the White House's most iconic areas made famous by the rose bushes that lined the landscaped lawn.

The Rose Garden's grassy space was paved over to make it safer and more convenient for people attending events—especially women wearing high heels.

Separate from the White House, the president revealed in October that he wants to build a new monument—an Arc de Triomphe-style arch near the Lincoln Memorial.