Trump’s White House ballroom project was reportedly scrapped. We broke down the real situation

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Construction of US President Donald Trump’s White House Ballroom was halted by a federal judge in mid-February 2026.

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As of this writing, a federal judge has yet to rule on the legal status of the construction project. In a social media post, Trump said the project is moving “ahead of schedule,” while a White House spokesperson told us the project is still in the “demolition phase.”

A social media rumor that appeared around February 10, 2026, claimed A federal judge has blocked US President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom construction project.

Trump began demolishing the east side of the White House in 2012 October 2025 to replace it with a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. In December 2025The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation sued the administration, arguing the project began without the necessary approvals or congressional authority.

In mid-February 2026, several readers asked us to confirm whether a federal judge had stopped construction on the ballroom. A February 10 Facebook The post said:

Trump’s infamous new White House ballroom and bunker have been struck down by a federal judge and the National Trust Protection Committee. It was also discovered that $400 million in ballroom donor money has either disappeared or simply does not exist. 🤔

The White House image (below) shows the former site of the East Wing, built in 1902 and renovated in 1942, completely demolished by several bulldozers and skip loaders clearing the last of the rubble.

GSA must now hire a construction company to fill the East Wing (wrongfully demolished by Trump) with dirt and mud. The judge and the committee also ordered that Trump “cannot paint the walls of the White House without the permission and approval of the committee.”

(Facebook user Alex W. Weiss)

As of this writing, U.S. District Judge Richard Lyon, the judge overseeing the case, has yet to issue a decision on the status of the ballroom construction project. We got to the White House; A spokesperson told us the ballroom has not yet been built and the project is still in the “fragile phase.”

Therefore, we consider the claim that the judge stopped the construction to be false. We will update the story once the court issues its decision.

Photos on Getty Images Late January 2026 showed construction cranes around the demolition site.

National Trust argued The project proceeded without authorization from Congress and an inadequate environmental assessment.

On December 17, 2025, Lyon rejected the National Trust’s motion for a temporary restraining order on the project and Temporarily allowed Work to continue. The judge’s order noted that there was no “imminent risk of irreparable aesthetic loss” because the ballroom plans had not been finalized.

According to Arguments Filed by the Trump administration in January 2026, previous presidents did not require congressional approval to build or renovate the White House grounds. The government has also said that it will not start construction work above the ground April 2026.

At the end of January 2026, Leon expressed his doubts The administration had the legal right to demolish the former wing and proceed with the construction work. However, he said that he would do it make a decision In the coming weeks, probably February 2026Whether or not to grant a preliminary injunction to stay construction pending the pendency of the suit.

According to Bloomberg reportingLeon predicted the case would be appealed to a federal appeals court and possibly even the Supreme Court. According to Court records Seen on February 12, Lyon had not issued such an order.

The White House did not specify how much money was raised and who the private donors were, instead directing us to Trump’s most recent statement. Trump on February 10, 2026 posted on TruthSocial that the construction project is “on budget, and ahead of schedule.” He also shared digital renderings of what the potential ballroom would look like.

On January 25, Trump posted That the project was privately funded and would cost $300 million to $400 million dollars:

I’m building, on top of everything I’m doing, one of the largest and most beautiful ballrooms anywhere in the world, with over $300 million of Great American Patriots’ money, and from the beginning, working closely with the United States military and Secret Service. It’s a 300 to 400 million dollar gift (zero taxpayer funds!) to the United States (depending on the scope and quality of the interior finishes!), for much-needed space. […]

In November 2025, the White House issued A list of donors for the Ballroom Project, including charities, sports team owners, tech companies, media companies and billionaires. The Associated Press An additional corporation and an artificial intelligence chipmaker also reported donating to the project. The administration did not disclose how much each donor contributed.

Snopes has Covering multiple claims On Trump’s plans for the East Wing demolition and the White House Ballroom.

Sources:

“Crane used in the ballroom construction hovers above the white…” Getty Images, 10 Feb. 2026, https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/crane-used-in-the-ballroom-construction-hovers-above-the-news-photo/22602984. Accessed 12 February 2026.

“Cranes and a temporary visitor entrance is seen on the north side…” Getty Images, 28 Jan. 2026, https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/cranes-and-a-temporary-visitor-entrance-is-seen-on-the-news-photo/27234. Accessed 12 February 2026.

Esposito, Joey. “15 Claims We Investigated About White House East Wing Demolition.” Snopes, 26 Nov. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//collections/white-house-demolition-collection/. Accessed 12 February 2026.

The judge questioned Trump’s authority to build the White House ballroom. 23 Jan. 2026, https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/judge-questions-trump-authority-to-build-white-house-ballroom. Accessed 12 February 2026.

“National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States v. National Park Service, 1:25-Cv-04316 – CourtListener.Com.” Courtlistener, https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72028010/national-trust-for-historic-preservation-in-the-united-states-v-national/. Accessed 12 February 2026.

United States of America National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Park Service 1:25-Cv-04316 (DDC) | Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. https://clearinghouse.net/case/47494/. Accessed 12 February 2026.

Rascouët-Paz, Anna. “Trump demolished the entire East Wing of the White House?” Snopes, 23 Oct. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/trump-east-wing-white-house/. Accessed 12 February 2026.

Scarcella, Mike. “White House Confronts Judge Skeptical in Trump Ballroom Trial.” Reuters, 23 January 2026. issue www.reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-judge-weighs-bid-halt-trumps-white-house-ballroom-2026-01-22/. Accessed 12 February 2026.

“Supplemental Memorandum – United States v. National Park Service (DDC, 1:25-Cv-04316) – CourtListener.Com.” Courtlistener, https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72028010/30/national-trust-for-historic-preservation-in-the-united-states-v-national/. Accessed 12 February 2026.

“These are the 37 donors who helped pay for Trump’s $300 million White House ballroom.” AP News, 12 Nov. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/donors-to-trump-white-house-ballroom-d4dd174eeb30ac244354a5a25551a86b. Accessed 12 February 2026.