‘No President Is Legally Allowed to Tear Down’ White House Without Review: National Trust Sues to Stop Trump’s White House Ballroom
The East Wing of the White House, Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
On Friday, a congressionally chartered historic preservation group filed suit against President Donald Trump’s administration in an effort to halt construction of his planned White House ballroom, arguing that “no president is legally allowed” to demolish the East Wing and begin building without required approvals, environmental reviews, and public input.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation seeks to block work on the 90,000-square-foot addition until federal review boards and Congress weigh in. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, represents the first major legal challenge to Trump’s high-profile project, which the president hopes to complete before his term ends in January 2029.
The National Trust argues that the administration failed to submit plans to the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, both of which are legally required to review major federal construction projects in Washington.
The group also accuses Trump of violating the National Environmental Policy Act, saying the White House did not conduct or publish an environmental assessment before tearing down the East Wing and disposing of debris.
“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not [former] President Joe Biden, and not anyone else,” the complaint states.
“The lawsuit is our last resort,” National Trust CEO Carol Quillen said in an interview with The Washington Post. “We serve the people, and the people are not being served in this process.”
Trump has repeatedly defended the ballroom project, emphasizing that the $300 million project is being privately funded. The White House has dismissed critics as politically motivated, with Trump himself suggesting he is not bound by typical building restrictions.
At an October donor dinner, he recalled advisers telling him, “Sir, this is the White House. You’re the president of the United States; you can do anything you want.”
The National Trust counters that authority does not extend to bypassing Congress or federal law, particularly when altering what it calls “perhaps the most recognizable and historically significant building in the country.”
