The US military is upgrading White House facilities for the new East Wing, the administration said Monday, after President Donald Trump said the ballroom would be built atop a "massive" fortified complex.
"The military is making some improvements to its facilities here at the White House, and I'm not aware of any further details on that," White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said at a press briefing.
Leavitt's comments followed Trump's own update on the $400 million White House ballroom to replace the collapsed East Wing.
On Sunday, Trump showed reporters aboard Air Force One a large drawing of the new building, citing security features including "bulletproof glass" and an "anti-drone roof."
"Now the military is building a huge complex under the ballroom, which has recently come out because of a stupid lawsuit that was filed. But the military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, and it's under construction," Trump said.
"The ballroom basically becomes a hangar for what's being built underneath... including drones and including everything else," he added.
The 8,360-square-foot ballroom will replace the East Wing, which Trump ordered demolished in October. Beneath that building was the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, an emergency bunker for the president.
The demolition has drawn criticism from lawmakers, historians and preservation advocates, as well as an ongoing lawsuit. Critics have objected to the decision to demolish the old structure without federal review or public comment, and they have criticized the massive new facility on aesthetic and historical grounds.
The National Capital Planning Commission, one of two federal bodies required to approve the project, has a vote on the changes scheduled for Thursday.
Trump has said the ballroom, which will accommodate 1,000 people, is a necessary upgrade to the cramped and outdated reception facilities at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest. /Telegraph/
