President Donald Trump says historic preservation group fighting his White House ballroom project revealed ‘top military secrets’
President Donald Trump has accused a historic preservation group challenging his coveted White House ballroom project of revealing “top military secrets,” escalating a legal battle that is now before the Supreme Court. Trump called members of the National Trust for Historic Preservation “treasonists” while offering no evidence that the nonprofit disclosed classified military information pertaining to the project.
The Trump administration is currently seeking an emergency Supreme Court intervention before a lower-court injunction blocking aboveground construction takes effect on August 21.
Donald Trump escalates attack on historic preservation group
“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!” he added.
Trump claimed the group received detailed plans from senior military and Secret Service officials but continued its lawsuit despite warnings about the project’s “top secret nature.”
While the trust has not yet responded to Trump’s latest comments, it has previously rejected similar claims. In April, it told U.S. District Judge Richard Leon that officials had not provided it with details of any underground structure beyond what the Trump administration had publicly disclosed. In an April 26 letter to the Department of Justice, its attorney, Gregory Craig, said claims that the lawsuit placed Trump’s life at “grave risk” were “incorrect and irresponsible.”
The legal fight between the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Trump administration
The trust sued the Trump administration in December 2025, arguing that construction of the White House ballroom project is proceeding without congressional authorization and requires legal reviews. A federal appeals court upheld an injunction blocking aboveground construction, while allowing work deemed necessary for underground security facilities to continue.
On Thursday, August 13, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to suspend the injunction while it pursues a broader appeal, describing the development as an “integrated military complex” that is “vitally required by national security.”
Solicitor General D. John Sauer also sought an immediate administrative stay before August 21. The application does not seek a final ruling on the project’s legality but rather asks the justices to pause the injunction while the Trump administration prepares a full appeal.
Trump administration cites safety, security and operational concerns
The Trump administration challenged the trust’s legal standing and said Congress has already given the executive branch authority to modify the White House and construct buildings in President’s Park. It further argued that the White House will suffer irreparable harm if construction stops. The administration claimed that the project is about 65% complete and that major design changes are no longer practical. It warned that halting construction could leave an unfinished structure creating safety, security and operational problems.
The trust, meanwhile, urged the Supreme Court to reject the request, arguing that courts had already considered the Trump administration’s national security claims and allowed underground bunker work to continue. It accused officials of trying to “outrun the courts” by accelerating construction.
Donald Trump says ballroom project will be accompanied by sprawling military facility
Trump recently defended the project while responding to criticism from Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff. “We’re building a great facility here. We’re fixing a White House that hasn’t been taken care of,” he said. Trump added that the military had proposed expanding the project underground. “The military asked if they could see me and they say, ‘Sir, we have an opportunity to go down deep into the ground and build a military facility to go with the White House and to go with all of Washington, D.C.’ … Then they came up with the drone port on top, which would be a major drone port to protect the White House and all of D.C.”
The Trump administration’s court filing also describes bomb shelters, sniper positions, missile-resistant construction and facilities extending five stories underground as part of the project. Trump has said the rooftop “drone port” and security infrastructure are part of an integrated system intended to protect the president, his family and senior officials.