An “imposing” military complex under the equally enormous ballroom, in the east wing of the White House, in place of the ‘anti-apocalypse’ bunker built in the 1940s to protect American presidents from possible nuclear attacks.
Donald Trump’s creative flair has no limits and, not satisfied with having demolished at least a third of the iconic residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to make room for a 400 million dollar, 999-seat ‘ball room’, the tycoon has announced a new architectural work. The Pentagon, Trump told reporters on board Air Force One after some rumors had emerged in the media, is building “a huge military complex” and in the meantime strengthening the ballroom with “bulletproof glass and anti-drone ceilings.”
“Unfortunately, we live in a time where this is a good thing,” the president added, showing the latest rendering of the party room to the media on board the plane. The plan for the nuclear bunker should have remained secret but in Washington maintaining confidentiality on everything that revolves around the White House and this president is practically impossible. Then, following an article published over the weekend in the New York Times that attacked the planning and design of the ball room, Trump wanted to return to the topic.
Also crucial was a lawsuit filed in December 2025 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation that asked a court to suspend construction of the hall until it had undergone several independent reviews, passed environmental assessments and received congressional approval. The judge will give his ruling by the end of the month, which is why The Donald wanted to get ahead of the game.
“The ballroom essentially becomes a shield for what is being built underneath,” the American president declared. «The glass in the windows is extremely thick. This is high-quality bulletproof glass, therefore, all windows are bulletproof,” he added, revealing a number of details about the construction. Of all the projects undertaken by the commander-in-chief since his return to the White House – from the renovation of the Oval Office and some bathrooms of the residence to the remodeling of Lafayette Square to the modernization of the Kennedy Center to the plan to build the Trump arch – this one of the ballroom is perhaps the least popular among Americans.
According to the latest polls, 58% said they were against demolishing the East Wing for the ballroom, compared to 25% who said they were in favor. Over 35,000 citizens also protested to the federal commission tasked with examining it. The news of the bunker further exacerbated the controversy. With some on social media going so far as to compare it to the extension of the chancellery wanted by Adolf Hitler in 1935. On the orders of the Fuhrer, in fact, the architects Paul Troost and Leonhard Gall added a large ballroom in the garden area, the ‘Festsaal mit Wintergarten’ which was, in reality, a cover for the anti-aircraft bunker known as the ‘Vorbunker’.