Trump Says the $400 Million White House Ballroom Sits Atop a 'Massive' Underground Military Complex

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on March 29, 2026, President Trump confirmed that a massive military complex is being built beneath the White House ballroom, saying the ballroom essentially becomes a shed for what's being built under, and that the project is ahead of schedule. The ballroom carries a $400 million price tag; the East Wing was demolished in October 2025 to make room for it. Trump said details of the underground project had emerged through litigation. The National Capital Planning Commission, which held a public meeting on the ballroom plans March 5 with more than 100 registered speakers, was scheduled to vote in April 2026. A federal judge had earlier rejected a National Trust for Historic Preservation suit seeking to halt construction, while suggesting the group could refine its arguments.

A subsurface facility of unstated scope, cost and funding source, disclosed by the president in an offhand remark rather than through a budget request or a planning submission, sits outside the disclosure process that normally governs construction on the White House grounds.

The planning commission vote remained pending. No cost figure or funding source for the underground portion has been made public.