National preservation group sues to halt Trump’s ballroom construction

A preservationist group is suing President Donald Trump for his construction of the East Wing ballroom, arguing in a lawsuit filed Friday that the wing’s demolition did not undergo appropriate reviews and demanding the rebuilding cease immediately.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation — a nonprofit chartered by Congress to support the preservation of historic U.S. buildings and neighborhoods — is asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the ongoing construction until the administration seeks congressional approval and consults federal commissions and the public.“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever—not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,” the group wrote in the lawsuit. “And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.”

The group argued the construction violated the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act on multiple occasions, including by failing to consult the National Capital Planning Commission — a federal agency designated to provide guidance on urban planning — on the large-scale project.

A Virginia couple filed a similar lawsuit in October attempting to block the demolition, but the case was voluntarily dismissed days later. But Friday’s lawsuit from the prominent preservation group is the largest stride yet in effectively halting the renovations.

The White House declined to comment on whether it would pause construction in response to the pending litigation but continued to defend Trump’s project as legal.

“President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House – just like all of his predecessors did,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement.

The 90,000 square foot ballroom — which the administration began razing for in September — sparked a wave of outcry from preservationist groups, activists and Washington locals who deplored the changes as destruction to the historic building.

The White House is expected to submit plans to a federal planning commission this month, and the administration has said it has recruited additional architects to oversee the renovation.