President Trump is increasingly citing national security to justify a range of controversial actions, from banning news outlets like CNN, MS Now, and Politico from White House grounds to pausing offshore wind farms and exempting Gulf of Mexico drilling from whale protections. He has also invoked the rationale to strip union rights from federal workers and deploy the military to the Mexican border.

Perhaps the most curious application involves a planned 250-foot triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Originally intended to honor America’s 250th anniversary, Trump announced Sunday it would now serve as a military depot outfitted with drones, snipers, and ammunition. The project already faces legal challenges; the Justice Department has argued it relies on a 1925 congressional authorization for the Arlington Memorial Bridge.

Legal experts warn that frivolous invocations could erode judicial deference. Barbara Mc Quade, a University of Michigan Law School professor and former U.S. attorney, noted courts are historically deferential but that the "national security" card is not absolute. The Supreme Court previously allowed a White House ballroom project to proceed on technical grounds after lower courts distinguished legitimate security needs from unauthorized construction.