WASHINGTON — President Trump accused the National Trust for Historic Preservation of exposing classified information in its lawsuit over the proposed White House ballroom, calling the group's members "TREASONISTS" in a Friday evening Truth Social post. The accusation came hours after his Justice Department filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court order blocking above-ground construction.
"These are the TREASONISTS that brought the suit against the Military Complex," Trump wrote. "They revealed Top Military Secrets!" He offered no specifics about what information was allegedly disclosed or how.
Trump went further, labeling the nonprofit "very bad for our Country" and accusing it of blocking projects he described as worthwhile. "In this case, they are trying to stop one that is vital to our National Security, and the Safety of all Presidents of the United States, both current and future, their families, staff, and Cabinet members," he wrote.
The proposed structure is a 90,000-square-foot ballroom with a below-ground military complex, a medical facility and a drone port on the roof. Total construction cost is estimated at around $600 million, with a portion coming from taxpayers.
The lower court's existing order blocks only above-ground construction. Underground security installations are not affected by the halt and continue moving forward. Trump argued in his Truth Social post that separating the two phases is operationally impossible. "The lower section does not work without the upper section, and likewise, the upper section does not work without the lower," he wrote. "It is all one highly integrated unit."
The Trump administration's core legal argument is that the project is critical to national security and the physical protection of the president. The DOJ's emergency petition asks the Supreme Court to lift the construction halt while the administration's appeal of the lower court ruling proceeds.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation pushed back immediately after the DOJ filing became public. In a statement, the organization called the petition "audacious" and accused the administration of attempting to sidestep judicial oversight. "The Administration's transparent efforts to evade the rule of law, frustrate judicial review, and limit the availability of meaningful relief in the courts must stop here," the nonprofit said. "The Supreme Court should deny the Administration's demand that it be allowed to continue Ballroom construction while it appeals."
The National Trust did not directly address Trump's treason accusation. Its position has centered on historic preservation law and the administration's conduct in courts rather than the underlying security rationale.
On Friday, the DOJ filed its emergency Supreme Court request during the day; Trump's Truth Social post, which included the treason allegation, came that evening. The escalation from a construction dispute to a treason accusation against a nonprofit in a single news cycle marks a sharp hardening of the administration's public posture toward the litigation.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a congressionally chartered nonprofit founded in 1949 and headquartered in Washington. It has historically worked across party lines on preservation issues. The group did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the president's specific allegation that it revealed top military secrets.
