White House ballroom project to include ‘massive’ military complex
US President Donald Trump talks to the media while holding up renderings of the planned White House ballroom, aboard Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on Sunday.
Photo: Reuters The US military is upgrading White House facilities for the new East Wing, the administration said on Monday, after US President Donald Trump said the ballroom would be built atop a “massive” fortified complex. “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,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing.
Leavitt’s comments followed Trump’s own update on the US$400 million White House ballroom to replace the demolished East Wing.
On Sunday, Trump showed a large rendering of the new building to reporters aboard Air Force One, touting security features including “bulletproof glass” and a “drone-proof roof”. “Now 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 is building a massive complex under the ballroom and that’s under construction,” Trump said. “The ballroom essentially becomes a shed for what’s being built under … including from drones and including from any other thing.” The 8,360 square metre (90,000 sq ft) ballroom will replace the East Wing, which Trump ordered demolished in October.
Underneath that building was the Presidential Emergency Operations Centre, an emergency bunker for the president.
The demolition drew criticism from lawmakers, historians and preservation advocates, as well as a continuing lawsuit.
Critics objected to the decision to demolish the old structure without federal reviews or public comment, and they have critiqued the massive new facility on aesthetic and historical grounds.
The National Capital Planning Commission, one of two federal bodies required to sign off on the project, has a vote on the changes scheduled for Thursday.
Trump has said the ballroom, which will accommodate 1,000 people, is a necessary upgrade to the cramped and dated reception facilities at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest.
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