White House Insiders Expose Trump’s Wasteful Security Claims Amid Existing Nuclear Bunker
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Former officials reveal a state-of-the-art nuclear bunker built under Obama, debunking Trump’s self-serving push for a lavish new ballroom and bomb shelter under the guise of national security.
White House officials have revealed that a deep underground nuclear bunker, constructed over a decade ago during the Obama administration, already exists beneath the White House complex. This revelation directly undermines President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to justify an extravagant new ballroom, complete with a bomb shelter and drone port, as a supposed national security necessity. The bunker, situated more than 60 feet below the East Wing, was completed under Obama’s leadership and is capable of sheltering dozens of personnel for weeks in the event of a nuclear attack, according to three former officials who spoke anonymously to the Washington Post.
Trump, now 80, has tried to spin the ballroom project as a “military complex” vital for national security, especially after a Supreme Court ruling allowed construction to proceed pending further legal review. He told reporters the facility would include a bomb shelter and a rooftop drone port, attempting to stoke fear and justify the project’s exorbitant costs. In legal filings, Trump’s lawyers argued that delaying the project would endanger his safety, citing vague threats and touting the use of nuclear-plant-grade materials, as if this were a unique necessity.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle claimed the East Wing modernization, including the ballroom, is “inextricably tied” to presidential security, even referencing a recently foiled attack to bolster the administration’s narrative for more militarized structures like drone-proof ports.
However, the existence of the Obama-era bunker, detailed in Ronald Kessler’s 2018 book "The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game," makes clear that the administration already possesses a secure command center. This calls into question the legal and ethical basis for Trump’s push for a new, costly underground facility. The Washington Post withheld some details to protect security protocols. The Daily Beast reached out to the White House for comment.