Trump calls the nonprofit suing over his ballroom "TREASONISTS"
President Trump used a Truth Social post to accuse the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has sued to halt construction of his White House ballroom, of being "TREASONISTS" who had revealed top military secrets by bringing the suit.
What happened
Trump wrote Friday night that the group was "very bad for our Country" and that "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 also wrote that the plaintiffs "were asked by the United States Military not to bring this suit because of the Top Secret nature of the important facility being built." The post followed a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. that the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to make substantial changes to the White House.
Why it matters
Calling a plaintiff a traitor is not a legal argument; it is a cost attached to having brought the case. When the head of the executive branch puts the language of treason on an organization for using the courts against him, the deterrent does not stop at this suit — it reaches anyone weighing whether litigating against the government is worth what follows.