"The White House already has a nuclear bunker" ... Trump’s case for a 'military' banquet hall weakens

AP/Yonhap News Agency [Financial News] Reports that a bunker capable of withstanding a nuclear blast already exists at The White House are fueling growing calls that Donald Trump’s long-sought $600 million White House banquet hall project is unnecessary. According to a report by The Washington Post on the 24th (local time), three former officials said that the Federal Government of the United States had already built a deeply buried bunker more than 10 years ago, during the Barack Obama administration, to evacuate the president and staff in an emergency. Two of the former officials said the facility, which was completed in secret, can house dozens of people for up to several weeks.
They added that the bunker is buried 60 feet, or about 18 meters, beneath The White House complex, can be accessed only by a dedicated elevator, and was built specifically to protect the president from a wide range of threats, including attacks involving weapons of mass destruction. The officials pointed out that many of the security measures Trump has cited to justify building a new banquet hall are already included in the facility.
They said this undermines the Trump administration’s argument that the hall is needed for national security reasons. In response, White House Press Secretary Davis Ingle criticized the former officials who revealed the bunker’s existence and repeated the claim that the banquet hall is needed for security reasons.
Construction of the East Wing banquet hall at The White House. Yonhap News Agency Construction of the East Wing banquet hall, which will cover about 90,000 square meters and accommodate 1,000 people, is now 65% complete.
Trump announced plans for the new ballroom in March and said it would become "the world’s best ballroom," but controversy has continued over the enormous cost and concerns about damage to The White House’s heritage. In particular, after historical groups filed lawsuits, arguing that the project was being pushed ahead without congressional approval, the Trump administration began emphasizing the need for the accompanying "military facility" rather than the "world’s best ballroom" it had originally promoted.
On the 7th, the U. S.Circuit ordered, "Stop construction of the ballroom until Congress approves it," dealing a blow to the Trump administration. However, under U.
S. law, construction of underground military facilities needed for national security may continue.
Chief Justice John Roberts of SCOTUS allowed the work to proceed temporarily on the 21st while the court reviews the government’s emergency appeal.
[email protected] Hong Chaewan Reporter