What’s the Military Building Under the Ballroom?

By
Richard C. Young
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Proposed White House ballroom.

Americans know from statements by President Trump and others that the military is building something underneath the forthcoming ballroom renovation of the East Wing and the facility that was underneath, known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, or PEOC. In the New York Times, Luke Broadwater explains what’s going on there. He writes:

Speaking on Sunday to reporters on Air Force One, Mr. Trump said that he envisioned his 90,000-square-foot ballroom as a “shed” for the underground project.

“The military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, and that’s under construction, and we’re doing very well,” Mr. Trump said.

In Mr. Trump’s telling, the bunker will have bomb shelters and “very major medical facilities,” including a hospital. It will have the latest secure communication methods and defenses against bioweapons.

He said the ballroom would protect the underground facility from drones, bullets and other attacks. “It’s high-grade bulletproof glass. So all of the windows are bulletproof,” Mr. Trump said.

Last week, speaking about the ballroom project during a cabinet meeting, the president said that “the military wanted it more than anybody.”

Read more here.