As of 2/02/2026 is construction continuing on Trump’s ballroom?

1. Demolition and site work: the project is already in motion

The East Wing demolition was carried out in late 2025 and the White House and press reporting indicate demolition and rubble removal concluded in the months afterward, with construction crews moving from demolition into foundational and below‑grade activities in some areas by early 2026 ^{[1] [4] [5]}. Administration filings and public materials presented to planning commissions describe the project timeline as having begun site preparation in autumn 2025 and continuing into winter, with promises that above‑ground construction would not begin until spring 2026—April in some filings—meaning visible vertical construction was not expected yet as of early February ^{[4] [2]}.

2. Court battle and legal restraints: construction continues but with limits

The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to halt the ballroom, arguing required federal reviews and approvals were bypassed, and a federal judge has been sharply skeptical of the administration’s authority to proceed without congressional authorization ^{[6] [7] [2]}. That litigation produced mixed immediate results: the judge denied a temporary restraining order to stop all work but explicitly forbade construction crews from undertaking below‑ground structures that would definitively determine the final footprint and configuration of the ballroom while the case is pending, effectively constraining some substantive construction activities ^{[3] [2]}.

3. Administration posture: pressing ahead and saying it cannot be undone

The White House and President Trump have framed the ballroom as already underway and funded by private donations, with the president publicly asserting it is “too late” to stop the project and defending the pace of work while legal challenges proceed ^{[8] [9]}. Officials and the project architect have continued to brief and present evolving plans to the National Capital Planning Commission and other bodies even after demolition, including design tweaks and proposed West‑Wing balancing elements, indicating administrative intent to keep the project moving within the bounds of court orders ^{[10] [11]}.

4. What workers are doing now and what remains uncertain

Reporting describes concrete footings and below‑grade structural work in adjacent colonnade areas and plans to proceed with similar below‑grade work in the East Wing area in February, but the judicial restriction on “below‑ground structures that would determine how and where the final ballroom structure will exist” complicates the scope of allowable work and may force pauses or redesigns pending the judge’s forthcoming opinion ^{[1] [3] [2]}. Above‑ground construction is not slated to start until April per administration filings, but experts and preservation advocates told reporters the timetable to finish before 2029 is “optimistic,” and the litigation could further alter sequencing and scope ^{[2] [4]}.

5. Competing narratives and reporting limits

News outlets differ on tone and emphasis—administration and allied outlets stress momentum and private financing claims, while preservation groups and mainstream outlets highlight legal overreach and procedural lapses—so the record shows both active construction-related work and meaningful legal constraints as of this date ^{[8] [6] [12]}. The available reporting does not provide a minute‑by‑minute construction log; therefore, while multiple sources confirm demolition and continued site and foundational work, precise limits on which trenches, footings or utilities are being laid on February 2, 2026 are not exhaustively documented in the cited coverage ^{[1] [3]}.