White House ballroom will cost nearly $400m as Supreme Court allows work to continue

US President Donald Trump announced that a new White House ballroom will cost nearly $400 million, funded entirely by private donors and corporations.

"We're spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the ballroom, and it's all from people like me and great companies that are putting it up. It's going to be close to $400 million, and it's all paid for by patriots and patriotic companies, big companies. I'll name the companies probably over the next couple of weeks, but I want to ask if they mind. But and really, most of them have said you could use my name gladly. So that's all money. No, no taxpayer money for the ballroom at all," Trump said.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has cleared the way for construction to continue for the time being.

The temporary order was issued just hours before lower-court rulings were set to halt above-ground work on the project due to a lack of congressional approval.

Trump thanked the high court and the chief justice during his remarks later Friday during a political appearance in South Carolina.

“When they say proceed, I think that's a good thing. That's a good thing,” Trump said.

The test of the limits of presidential power

The case reaches the nation's highest court as Trump exercises unprecedented assertions of executive power, increasingly seeking to reshape the capital to reflect his own vision.

The administration contends that the president holds absolute authority to alter the White House and other federal properties at his discretion, maintaining that the ballroom construction must proceed on national security grounds.

However, when Trump initially unveiled plans for the new facility, he made no mention of national security, instead framing it as a privately funded project supported by himself and other donors.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation counters that the president lacks the unilateral authority to carry out the work, which involved razing the East Wing. Legal counsel for the organisation accused the White House of attempting to "outrun the courts" by speeding up construction.

The full Supreme Court is expected to deliberate next on whether building work can proceed as the broader legal battle plays out.

Trump expressed appreciation for Friday's development, claiming in a social media update that the project remains "under budget and ahead of schedule."