President Donald Trump was sued Friday by preservationists seeking an architectural review and congressional approval of his White House ballroom project.

The National Endowment for Historic Preservation is asking a federal court to halt the Trump White House ballroom project until it goes through extensive design reviews and public comments and gains congressional approval.

The National Trust maintains that Trump, in rushing the project, has committed multiple violations of the Administrative Procedures Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, while exceeding his constitutional authority by not seeking congressional approval for a project of this scale.

Demolition work continues where the East Wing of the White House once stood on December 8, 2025 in Washington, DC
Demolition work continues where the East Wing of the White House once stood on December 8, 2025 in Washington, DC

Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

Trump, a Republican, already bypassed the federal government’s usual construction practices and historical reviews when he razed the East Wing of the White House. He recently added another architectural study for a ballroom that would be nearly twice the size of the White House before the demolition of the East Wing.

A worker walks through the rubble of a largely demolished portion of the East Wing of the White House, Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington, ahead of construction of a new ballroom.
A worker walks through the rubble of a largely demolished portion of the East Wing of the White House, Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington, ahead of construction of a new ballroom.

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Trump has said a ballroom is needed at the White House, and previously complained that events were held outdoors under a tent and that guests would get their feet wet if it rained.

The White House is expected to present plans for Trump’s new ballroom to a federal planning commission before the end of the year, about three months after construction began.

Will Scharf, who was named by Trump as chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, said at the panel’s monthly meeting last week that his colleagues in the White House told him the long-awaited plans would be presented in December.

“Once the plans are presented, that’s really when the role of this commission and its professional staff will begin,” said Scharf, who is also one of the Republican president’s top advisers in the White House.

He said the review process would take place at a “normal and deliberative pace.”