White House insiders say existing nuclear bunker undercuts Trump ballroom security claim
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Former officials disclosed a modern nuclear bunker built during the Obama administration beneath the White House, challenging President Trump's justification for a new ballroom with a bomb shelter as a national-security necessity.
White House officials disclosed that a deep underground nuclear bunker, constructed more than a decade ago, already exists beneath the White House complex, undermining President Donald Trump's claim that a new ballroom with a bomb shelter and drone port is required for national security. The bunker, located over 60 feet below the East Wing, was completed during the Obama administration and can accommodate dozens of personnel for weeks in the event of a nuclear blast, according to three former officials who spoke anonymously to the Washington Post.
Trump, 80, cited the ballroom project as a "military complex" essential for national security after a Supreme Court ruling allowed construction to continue while a broader case proceeds. He told reporters the facility would include a bomb shelter and a rooftop drone port. In legal filings, his lawyers argued that delaying the project would jeopardize his safety, citing recent threats and noting that the building uses nuclear-plant-grade material, making it difficult to dismantle.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the East Wing modernization, which includes the ballroom, is "inextricably tied" to presidential security and referenced a recent foiled attack on a public event as evidence of the need for enhanced structures such as drone-proof ports.
The existence of the older bunker, described in Ronald Kessler's 2018 book "The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game," suggests that the administration already has a secure command center, calling into question the legal argument that the new ballroom's underground component is essential for national security. The Washington Post did not disclose all details of the bunker to protect security protocols. The Daily Beast sought comment from the White House.