Trump Administration Live Updates: Judge Halts White House Ballroom Construction

Updated 

March 31, 2026, 5:38 p.m. ET

President Trump pointing to a model of the new ballroom in the Oval Office in December.Doug Mills/The New York Times

What We’re Covering Today

• “White House Ballroom: A federal judge ordered construction of President Trump’s White House ballroom halted on Tuesday, saying work must come to a stop “unless and until Congress blesses this project.” Mr. Trump quickly assailed the organization that sued over the project, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, calling it “a Radical Left Group of Lunatics” on social media. Read more ›

• Public Media: The executive order Mr. Trump issued last year barring the federal government from funding NPR and PBS was unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday. But the ruling’s effect will be limited: Congress cut off federal money for public broadcasters last year. Read more ›

• Trump Library: A two-minute video with renderings of Mr. Trump’s planned presidential library in Miami shows a skyscraper with a golden escalator and airplanes in the lobby. The video appeared to include elements generated by artificial intelligence: In one scene, an enormous American flag on the outside of the tower appears to have 56 stars.”