President Donald Trump’s push to build a massive new ballroom at the White House has hit an unexpected snag: the presidential complex already contains a secret bunker designed for exactly the kind of national security crisis the administration says the new project would solve. Former officials claim the highly protected underground facility, completed more than a decade ago, can shelter the president and top aides for weeks during a nuclear or terrorist attack.
What the existing White House bunker means for Donald Trump’s ballroom project
The bunker, buried more than 60 feet beneath the White House complex, was secretly built during the Obama administration and designed to withstand a nuclear blast, according to three former officials.
It can house dozens of people and serve as a secure command center, allowing the president to run the country during extreme duress. The Washington Post first reported the bunker’s existence, withholding specific construction details to protect sensitive security protocols.
The revelation undercuts the Donald Trump administration’s central legal argument in an ongoing lawsuit over the $600 million ballroom complex. Trump officials have claimed the project, which is already 65% complete and plunging five stories underground, is essential for continuity of government and protection against drone attacks.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller wrote in a court filing that the facility “serves continuity-of-government interests by ensuring that the President and senior national security staff are able to operate from a protected facility during any attack on the nation’s capital.”
But the former officials questioned why the administration has suggested the White House lacks such a secure location when the existing bunker already fulfills that role. They also contrasted the secretive construction of the earlier bunker with the current project’s public visibility.
Trump has repeatedly revealed details about the East Wing military complex while the renovation has happened in full view, potentially allowing foreign adversaries to spy on once-hidden White House infrastructure.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. issued an order on Friday allowing construction to continue in the short term as the Supreme Court weighs an emergency appeal. Lower courts have ordered the administration to stop building the ballroom until Congress authorizes the project, though judges carved out an exception for national security components.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
