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By Jordan King
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President Donald Trump accused a historic preservation group challenging his White House ballroom project of revealing “top military secrets,” labeling its members “treasonists” as his administration took the dispute to the Supreme Court.
“These are the TREASONISTS that brought the suit against the Military Complex,” Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post, referring to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “They revealed Top Military Secrets!”
Trump did not provide evidence that the nonprofit had disclosed classified information. He claimed the group had been shown detailed plans for the project by senior military and Secret Service officials but pursued its lawsuit despite being warned about the facility’s “Top Secret nature.”
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The president said the new East Wing complex would include a rooftop “DronePort” and argued that its ballroom and security infrastructure form a single integrated structure essential to protecting presidents, their families and senior officials.
The administration’s public Supreme Court filing also describes extensive security features, including bomb shelters, sniper positions, missile-resistant construction, and facilities extending five stories underground.
National Trust for Historic Preservation's Position
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has not publicly addressed Trump’s latest “treasonists” accusation directly, but it has previously disputed similar claims from his administration.
In April, after the Justice Department alleged that the organization had been shown detailed plans for a “Top Secret” facility beneath the ballroom, the Trust told U.S. District Judge Richard Leon that it was not privy to details of the underground structure because administration officials had declined to share information beyond their public court claims.
Gregory Craig, an attorney representing the Trust, separately called the administration’s assertion that the lawsuit placed Trump’s life at “grave risk” “incorrect and irresponsible" in an April 26 letter to the Justice Department.
Newsweek contacted the National Trust for Historic Preservation via email on Saturday for comment.
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'Integrated Military Complex'
The trust sued the administration in December, arguing that construction was proceeding without the congressional authorization and legally required reviews it says the project needs. A federal appeals court upheld a preliminary injunction blocking aboveground ballroom construction–although the order allows work considered necessary for underground security facilities to continue.
On Thursday, the administration asked the Supreme Court to prevent that injunction from taking effect while it pursues an appeal, describing the development as an “integrated military complex” that is “vitally required by national security.”
It requested a decision before the injunction is scheduled to take effect on August 21.
That same day, responding to the government’s emergency Supreme Court application, the Trust said the courts had considered the administration’s national security arguments while allowing underground bunker work to continue. It accused officials of trying to “outrun the courts” by accelerating ballroom construction and urged the justices to deny the requested stay.
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What The Supreme Court Is Being Asked to Decide
The administration’s emergency application does not ask the Supreme Court to issue a final ruling on the ballroom’s legality. Instead, it asks the justices to suspend the lower court’s injunction while the government prepares a petition seeking a full Supreme Court review.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer also requested an immediate administrative stay before the injunction is due to take effect on August 21.
To secure that relief, the administration argues that it is likely to prevail on the merits and would suffer irreparable harm if construction were interrupted. Its filing challenges the trust’s legal standing and contends that Congress has already granted the executive branch sufficient authority to alter and improve the White House and construct buildings within President’s Park.
The government also says the project is approximately 65 percent complete and has reached a stage at which major design changes are no longer feasible. It warns that stopping work would leave an unfinished structure presenting safety, security and operational problems at the White House.
Those assertions come from the administration’s filing and have not been independently verified.
No Comparable Historical Example
The D.C. Circuit rejected the administration’s broader view of presidential power in a 2-1 decision. Judges Patricia Millett and Bradley Garcia concluded that decisions involving substantial changes to the White House rest with Congress, describing presidents as temporary occupants rather than owners of the property.
They said there was no comparable historical example of a president using privately raised money to demolish and replace a significant portion of the White House without congressional authorization.
Judge Neomi Rao dissented, arguing that the trust lacked standing and that existing laws gave the president authority to undertake the project. The administration has relied heavily on her reasoning in asking the Supreme Court to intervene.
Chief Justice John Roberts gave the trust until Tuesday to respond to the emergency application. The organization has urged the court to deny the request, accusing the administration of accelerating construction to limit the courts’ ability to provide meaningful relief.
Trump’s Claims in Full
President Trump said the following in a lengthy post on Truth Social:
“These are the TREASONISTS that brought the suit against the Military Complex. They revealed Top Military Secrets!
“‘The National Trust for Historic Preservation’ is a beautiful name, but even their name is fake because when they add the words ‘in the United States’ to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, it makes it sound like a Governmental Agency, which it is not.
"In fact, the United States refused to continue funding it in 2005 because they strongly disagreed with their mission and objectives. They are very bad for our Country. They stop many projects that are worthy, and hurt many others. 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.
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'They Suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome'
"They were asked by the United States Military not to bring this suit because of the Top Secret nature of the important facility being built. They were shown detailed plans and specifications of this knitted, unified, and cohesive structure by Top Officers and Leaders in both the Military and Secret Service. But this did not deter them because they suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, commonly referred to as TDS, as noted by Democrat Senator John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania. The lower section does not work without the upper section and, likewise, the upper section does not work without the lower. It is all one highly integrated unit.”
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Trump continued: “The then President of the National Trust, who brought the case, Carol Quillen, had no background in Historic Preservation, and has been replaced, unanimously, effective immediately. This is similar to her departure from Davidson College, where she was, likewise, dismissed, but the people of our Country are forced to live on with her bad decision, especially that of revealing to everyone, including our enemies throughout the World, the Top Secret Military features of the Building that are already built, and/or under construction, such as the DronePort, which occupies the entire roof.
“There is absolutely no argument that a woman walking her dog in the vicinity of the White House has STANDING to stop such a desperately needed National Security structure for the people of the United States of America, as it will provide Presidents, current and future, a secure space to do their jobs, especially when she never saw the Building, because it had not risen, and she had no rendering, or pictures of the Building because they, also, were in the formative stages of production.
"This woman is not a 'walker,' she is an activist, or serial plaintiff, who is involved in much other frivolous litigation throughout the City. In fact, whenever the National Trust files a lawsuit, she seems to be involved. So, she walked at the site of the White House, where there was no Building, and it bothered her, but she also walks in front of all of those other places, where she must also be bothered, and hence, additional court cases?
"She has no Clearances, or expertise whatsoever, in National Security, Defense, or required protections for the President. She has absolutely no standing to be involved in this case and, in fact, her name is not even mentioned as a plaintiff in the case! It is this kind of gross and flagrant abuse of our Courts that is exactly why Americans are losing faith in our System of Justice. It is so bad for our Country! President DONALD J. TRUMP!”
Contact Newsweek editor on this story: Edward Pearcey.
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