President Donald Trump confirmed that the military was involved in the construction of a “big complex” underneath his new White House ballroom – and hinted at it being a new bunker.
While speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, the president provided updates on his $400 million ballroom and showed off renderings of the 90,000-square-foot structure, which replaced the original East Wing.
“The military is building a big complex under the ballroom, which has come out recently because of a stupid lawsuit that was filed,” Trump said, referring to a lawsuit that seeks to pause construction of the ballroom.
Although Trump did not exactly explain the purpose of the underground bunker, he hinted it was for security reasons.
“The ballroom essentially becomes a shed for what’s being built under the military, including from drones, including from any other thing,” Trump said, adding that the windows will be “bulletproof.”
Trump’s ballroom is one of the several construction projects he’s undertaken to update the White House to align with his aesthetic.
The president has insisted the massive ballroom is necessary to provide entertaining space for state dinners, banquets and even potentially the presidential inauguration. As of now, the White House uses tents set up on the lawn to extend space during large events.
A weekend report from the New York Times looked at the proposed facility and some of its architectural features. Critics blasted the proposal, saying its stairs that lead to nowhere and its columns will block views from inside the ballroom.
That report left press secretary Karoline Leavitt fuming.
“President Trump and his lead architect have built world-class buildings around the world, and they are ensuring the People’s House finally has a beautiful ballroom that’s been needed for decades — at no expense to the taxpayer,” she said.
Trump’s decision to tear down the historic East Wing to make room for his privately funded ballroom has drawn scrutiny. Some argue the president should have received permission from the appropriate commissions before making the decision.
Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt had installed a bunker underneath the East Wing, called the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, to serve as a secure shelter and communications center for the president in the event of an emergency.
White House officials had previously hinted that the president may have ordered renovations of the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. At a National Capital Planning Commission meeting in January, White House director of management and administration Joshua Fisher said some plans were “top secret” – such as those related to underground construction below Trump’s new massive ballroom.
Lawyers for the Trump administration also indicated in lawsuit filings that there were renovations, part of the ballroom construction, that were of “national security” importance. They argued that because of those plans, construction should not be paused for any reason.
Plaintiffs in the case, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, referred to that “top secret” construction in a recent filing as a “bunker.”
Additionally, at a cabinet meeting last week, Trump told reporters that the military was involved in the White House ballroom construction but that it was supposed to be a secret.
“It was supposed to be secret, but it became unsecret because of people that are really unpatriotic saying things,” Trump said.
At the time, the president did not elaborate on why the military was involved.
While Trump’s comments on Sunday provided further clarity about the military’s involvement, he did not give many details about the renovated underground bunker. It’s unclear how large it will be, how many people it can fit or what new additions it plans to implement.
