The structure will feature a hospital, research facilities, meeting rooms, and dedicated spaces for military personnel.
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump said on May 19 that when finished, his planned White House ballroom will be the “safest building ever built” and will serve both as a ceremonial venue and as a military-grade facility to help protect the nation’s capital.
Speaking to reporters about the project’s construction progress, Trump said the structure would be designed to withstand both drone and missile attacks, with “a massive drone capacity.”
He said the building will also have a drone port on the roof to help protect all of Washington.
The structure will feature a hospital, research facilities, meeting rooms, and dedicated spaces for military personnel.
Trump initially announced the 90,000-square-foot White House East Wing ballroom project with an expected cost of $200 million. The estimated cost for the project has since increased to $400 million.
While standing in front of the ballroom construction site, where dozens of workers in safety vests were hammering, welding, and moving materials, Trump said the project is on schedule and within budget.
“The only budget change would be that we doubled the size at the request of the military,” he said.
The president said the building goes six stories underground and is highly complex, integrating both drone and missile protection systems, along with drone capabilities on the roof. According to Trump, the roof will also accommodate snipers, who will have “a very clear view” of Washington because of the building’s height.
The ballroom project, envisioned by Trump for years as a classical addition to the executive mansion, has faced repeated legal hurdles.
“This is really for other presidents. This is not for me,” Trump said. “This is my gift to the United States of America. I’m going to be able to use it very little.”
Senate Republicans sought to include a $1 billion provision in the recent immigration and border enforcement funding package to finance the White House ballroom expansion and Secret Service package.
The Secret Service had requested the money after an alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner last month, when Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were evacuated.
However, on May 16, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough blocked the proposed provision from being included in the budget reconciliation bill. According to MacDonough, the proposal breaks the rules of the reconciliation process. The parliamentarian’s go-ahead is traditionally required to approve individual items passed under the partisan process.
By Emel Akan
