Legal fight over Trump’s enormous construction project will continue despite panel’s approval.

A planning commission has approved President Donald Trump’s proposal to build an enormous ballroom at the White House, an effort to put his personal touch on a national landmark that has stoked backlash and legal challenges.

The National Capital Planning Commission, tasked with overseeing proposed construction on federal sites in the Washington, DC area, voted in favour of the project on Thursday.

“I believe that, in time, this ballroom will be considered every bit as much of a national treasure as the other key components of the White House,” said Will Scharf, who chairs the commission and is Trump’s former personal lawyer.

But the future of the ballroom, to be built on the site of the East Wing of the White House that Trump had demolished in October, remains uncertain. A federal judge ruled earlier this week that the project could not move forward without Congressional authorisation.

“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” US District Judge Richard Leon stated in a ruling on Tuesday.

The US president has paid little mind to the contested legality of the project, knocking down the East Wing of the White House with little prior notice and proceeding with construction despite legal challenges.

Trump reacted angrily to the Tuesday ruling over social media, stating that the ballroom was being financed through private donations rather than federal funds and that previous construction had not required approval from Congress.

“In the Ballroom case, the Judge said we have to get Congressional approval. He is WRONG!” Trump said on Wednesday. “Congressional approval has never been given on anything, in these circumstances, big or small, having to do with construction at the White House.”

The 12-person commission, which includes three people appointed by Trump, was originally set to vote on the project in March. The date was moved back due to a large number of people signing up to comment on the project, with a large majority strongly opposed.

The 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-metre) is currently estimated to cost about $400m, and Trump has expressed his hope that it will be completed before he completes his current term in early 2029. The price of the ballroom has expanded over time, with a statement from the White House in July 2025 estimating that the project would cost $200m.

Private funding from wealthy donors has also raised questions about whether the project has become a means of buying influence with the White House.

“The American people have weighed in on this project, and they hate it,” Jon Golinger, democracy advocate with Public Citizen, said as he criticised Trump over the project. “He needs to put the White House back the way the people gave it to him.”