President Donald Trump revealed on Sunday evening that the U.S. military is constructing a “massive” underground complex beneath his new $400 million, 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom.
Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while holding renderings of the plans, said the ballroom “essentially becomes a [shield] for what’s being built under by the military.”
He emphasized protective features — comprising thick, high-grade bulletproof glass — will be installed as part of the ballroom’s design to protect against drones and “any other things.”
Trump said that the initiative is progressing “ahead of schedule and under budget” and reiterated that it is being financed entirely by himself and private donors.
“There’s not one dime of government money going into the ballroom,” he stressed.
“I’m so busy that I don’t have to do this, but I’m fighting wars and other things,” Trump added. “But this is very important, because this is going to be with us for a long time, and it’s going to be … the greatest ballroom anywhere in the world.”
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The president complained the military’s previously clandestine undertaking only became public because of a “stupid lawsuit” that seeks to halt the endeavor.
The suit, filed in December 2025 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, contends that Trump violated at least four laws by bypassing required review processes. It asks a federal judge to suspend construction of the ballroom until the design undergoes a series of independent reviews, passes environmental assessments, secures congressional authorization and allows the public an opportunity to offer input.
A federal judge rejected the group’s initial request to pause construction but had been expected to rule by the end of March on the amended complaint, including whether to issue an injunction.
The Trump administration, however, has already begun demolishing the East Wing to make way for the project. A White House spokesperson asserted at the time that Trump has “full legal authority to modernize, renovate and beautify the White House — just like all of his predecessors did.”
Tanya Noury is a reporter for Military Times and Defense News, with coverage focusing on the White House and Pentagon.