On Sunday, President Donald Trump openly discussed a significant military project involving the construction of a vast underground facility beneath his beloved White House ballroom.
During a conversation with journalists aboard Air Force One, Trump provided an update on the ballroom’s progress, showcasing large cardboard models of the latest design plans.
“Currently, the military is developing an extensive complex beneath the ballroom,” Trump explained, attributing the recent attention to what he described as a “frivolous lawsuit.”
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has initiated legal action to halt Trump’s ballroom venture, arguing that the President bypassed the necessary Congressional approval before authorizing the demolition of the White House’s East Wing last fall.
“Essentially, the ballroom will act as a protective cover for the construction, safeguarding it from threats such as drones,” Trump elaborated.
In court, government attorneys have defended the continuation of the ballroom construction by citing potential repercussions for national security if the project were to be stopped.
The new complex will replace the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, more commonly referred to as the White House bunker, which dated back to the World War II era.
Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt replaced the original East Wing, constructed during President Teddy Roosevelt’s era, with the two-story version to hide the original White House bunker.
President Donald Trump gave new details about the military building a ‘big complex’ under his White House ballroom when talking to reporters on board Air Force One Sunday night
The White House ballroom construction site can be seen from the Washington Monument on March 10
The lawsuit has allowed more details about the ballroom project to be released to the public than what the White House has shared.
When White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked Monday about Trump’s ‘massive military complex,’ she declined to share any additional details.
‘I cannot tell you more about that, actually, as a matter of fact,’ she said, laughing.
‘However, the military is making some upgrades to their facilities here at the White House and I’m not privy to provide any more details on that,’ Leavitt added.
Trump said on board Air Force One that not only would the new facility be drone-proof, but the ballroom would have those capabilities too.
‘We have all bulletproof glass. We have drone-proof roof, roofs, ceiling, everything’s drone-proof and bulletproof,’ Trump said. ‘And unfortunately, we’re living in an age where that’s a good thing.’
The President survived an assassination attempt in July 2024, while campaigning in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The ballroom project will be voted on this Thursday by the National Capital Planning Commission, one of two panels that traditionally must sign off on these types of projects.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued the Trump administration after President Donald Trump had the White House’s East Wing torn down in October 2025
Workers can be seen working at the future site of the White House ballroom. A large military installation will be hidden under the ballroom once its completed
Vice President Dick Cheney (right) and other Bush administration officials are seen in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center on September 11, 2001
The other group, the Commission of Fine Arts – now filled with Trump allies, including the President’s 26-year-old executive assistant – fast-tracked a ballroom approval vote without seeing a final design in February.
The NCPC, which is being led by Trump’s White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf, is also filled with the President’s appointees.
The group heard from dozens of experts and average Americans during a March meeting, that was held online, with only one individual in the hours of testimony saying positive things about the project.
Others remarked on the size – three times that of the White House residence – and the ‘ugly’ design.
Trump showed off new design features on Air Force One, including a differently configured staircase on the south end of the ballroom.
The project will likely sail through the NCPC when the vote occurs Thursday, leaving the lawsuit the only hurdle standing in the President’s way.
The judge handling the lawsuit, US District Judge Richard Leon, a President George W. Bush appointee, has signaled that the ruling could come as early as this week, the Washington Post reported.
Leon has also said that he expects his decision to be appealed to the Supreme Court, where Trump-appointed justices help make up the 6-3 conservative majority.
