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 stated that the project is moving «ahead of schedule,» while a White House spokesperson told us that the project is still in the «demolition phase.»
A social media rumor that emerged around Feb. 10, 2026, claimed a federal judge had halted U.S. President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom construction project.
Trump began the demolition of the White House’s East Wing in October 2025 in order to replace it with a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. In December 2025, the nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation sued the administration, arguing the project began without necessary approvals or congressional authority.
In mid-February 2026, numerous readers asked us to confirm whether a federal judge had halted construction on the ballroom. A Feb. 10 Facebook post stated:
Trump’s infamous new White House ballroom and bunker has been scrapped by a federal judge and the national trust preservation committee. It was also discovered the $400 million in ballroom donor money has either disappeared or simply never existed. 🤔
The image of the White House (below) shows the former site of the East Wing, built in 1902 and renovated in 1942, completely demolished with several bulldozers and skip loaders clearing the last of the rubble.
GSA has to now hire a construction company to fill the east wing (trump improperly had demolished) with dirt and sod. The Judge and committee have also ruled trump «cannot as much as paint a wall in the white house without a permit and committee approval».