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Judge rejects request to block Trump White House from building its $400 million ballroom project

Feb 26, 2026, 9:47 AM

Artist renderings and diagrams of the new White House East Wing and Ballroom, briefly posted on the...

Artist renderings and diagrams of the new White House East Wing and Ballroom, briefly posted on the National Capital Planning Commission's website ahead of a March 5, hearing, are photographed Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday rejected a preservationist group’s request to block the Trump administration from continuing construction of a $400 million ballroom where it demolished the East Wing of the White House.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that The National Trust for Historic Preservation was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its bid to temporarily halt President Donald Trump’s project.

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Judge rejects request to block Trump White House from building its $400 million ballroom project