President Donald Trump demolished the East Wing of the White House last October, planning to replace it with a new structure that includes a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Trump did not have the legal authority to do that, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled on Friday, saying he may not complete the project unless and until Congress approves it.
"Each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House and its Executive Residence," writes Judge Patricia Millett, a Barack Obama appointee, in an opinion joined by Judge Bradley Garcia, who was nominated by Joe Biden. "We are aware of no instance in American history in which a President unilaterally and using privately collected funds demolished substantial portions of the White House that Congress authorized to be built and American taxpayers paid for. Until now."
