President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that the military is constructing a “massive complex” under the new ballroom being built at the White House.
Last summer, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the ballroom project, describing it as a “much-needed and exquisite addition.” It will be 90,000 square feet and will allow presidents to host events for up to 650 attendees, more than tripling the East Room’s current capacity of approximately 200.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One while returning to Washington on Sunday night, Trump explained, “The military is building a big complex under the ballroom, which has come out recently because of a stupid lawsuit that was filed.”
“But the military’s building a massive complex under the ballroom, and that’s under construction, and we’re doing very well,” he added.
BELOW THE SURFACE: President Trump reveals the U.S. military is building a “massive complex” beneath the planned, privately-funded White House ballroom, and that construction is “ahead of schedule.” pic.twitter.com/VDbepFqox8
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 30, 2026
Trump appeared to downplay the importance of the ballroom in relation to the military project going on underneath it.
“The ballroom essentially becomes a shed of what’s being built under the military, including from drones and including from any other thing,” he said.
“The glass on the windows, you see the big windows, the glass is extremely thick. It’s high-grade bulletproof glass. So all of the windows are bulletproof,” Trump noted.
He also defended the aesthetics of the addition against a scathing New York Times report published Sunday, saying, “It fits in with the White House. It’s almost a twin to the White House. It’s something. We just wanted to pay tribute to the White House.”
BREAKING: @PressSec announces the construction of a new 90,000 sq ft ballroom at the White House — with construction to begin in September.
Visit https://t.co/Nq7Vqlw3HO for more. pic.twitter.com/XadWWxOGON
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 31, 2025
USA Today reported Monday that details about the military aspect of the construction were revealed by a lawsuit against the ballroom project filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The USA Today report noted that a bunker was installed under the East Wing of the White House during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration. The wing was first constructed in 1902 during President Teddy Roosevelt’s administration, and then expanded under FDR in 1942. The East Wing was demolished last year to make room for the new ballroom.
The old bunker, known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, had been updated over the years to protect against various types of attacks, including nuclear war, according to USA Today.
During a cabinet meeting last week, Trump said of the new underground facility, “I mean, now it’s no secret, the military wanted it more than anybody. It was supposed to be secret, but it became un-secret because of people that are really unpatriotic saying things. But doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter. It’s going to be great.”
Trump: This ballroom is gonna be something that’s so beautiful for the city, so desperately needed by presidents. It was supposed to be secret but it became unsecret because of people that are really unpatriotic saying things but doesn’t matter doesn’t matter. It’s gonna be… pic.twitter.com/1aONvQVpmr
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) March 26, 2026
The Associated Press reported that in February, a federal judge rejected the request filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to halt the ballroom’s construction.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wrote, “Plaintiff didn’t bring the necessary cause of action to test the statutory authority the President claims is the basis to do this construction project without the blessing of Congress and with private funds.”
However, The Hill reported on March 17 that the National Trust had filed a new complaint, which Leon said he would aim to rule on by the end of the month.
That decision could come any day.
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