Trump is playing real estate developer with national treasures. This group is fighting back

President Donald Trump's administration has been embroiled in a series of legal battles to protect historic sites across the United States, with the National Trust for Historic Preservation leading the charge. In recent years, some of the nation's most iconic landmarks, such as the White House's East Wing and the Kennedy Center, have come under threat, prompting preservationists to take legal action.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, has been at the forefront of these efforts. Their mission is to safeguard not only the landmarks themselves but also the foundational protections of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), which was enacted in 1966 in response to urban renewal projects that demolished numerous historic buildings.

Brent Leggs, the president and CEO of the National Trust, describes the current threats to historic sites as "generational and existential." The National Trust has recently launched the Historic Preservation Defense Fund, a campaign to raise $10 million over the next three years to support legal defense, public advocacy, and community action to protect historic places from threats posed by proposed projects and policy changes.

The fund has already received an anonymous $1 million donation, structured as a one-to-one matching gift, which the Trust hopes will attract gifts ranging from $25,000 to $100,000. This money will be used to support efforts nationwide, prioritizing those with the highest urgency. The Trust intends to work alongside new and existing partners to mitigate threats to national historic landmarks in Washington, D.C., as well as local communities across the country.

Several high-profile lawsuits are currently underway in Washington, D.C. In December, the National Trust sued President Trump and several federal agencies to halt construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom atop the East Wing, arguing that the project lacked congressional authorization and circumvented required federal reviews.

While a federal judge initially barred above-ground work without Congress's approval, the Supreme Court later allowed work on the addition to proceed, citing a lack of standing on the Trust's part to sue.

Another lawsuit has been filed alongside seven other plaintiffs, including the American Institute of Architects, the DC Preservation League, and Docomomo US, to prevent the Trump administration from making major alterations to the Kennedy Center without congressional approval or compliance with historic preservation laws. The Historic Preservation Defense Fund is also intended to bolster coalitions like this one.

Additionally, the Trump administration is pushing ahead with plans for a 250-foot concrete triumphal arch at Memorial Circle, which would stand more than twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial and adversely affect numerous historic sites. The National Park Service has found the arch to be detrimental to more than three dozen historic places, yet the administration continues to move forward.

In response, Arlington County Board officials have sued the Interior Department and the National Park Service, arguing that the agency downplayed the arch's potential harms and ignored the National Environmental Policy Act.