By Bo Erickson and Trevor Hunnicutt
WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) – The U.S. military is upgrading White House facilities for the new East Wing, the administration said on Monday, after President Donald Trump said the ballroom would be built atop a “massive” fortified complex.
“The military is making some upgrades to their facilities here at the White House, and I’m not privy to provide any more details on that,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing.
Leavitt’s comments followed Trump’s own update on the $400 million White House ballroom to replace the demolished East Wing.
On Sunday, Trump showed a large rendering of the new building to reporters aboard Air Force One, touting security features including “bulletproof glass” and a “drone-proof roof.”
“Now the military is building a big complex under the ballroom, which has come out recently because of a stupid lawsuit that was filed. But the military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, and that’s under construction,” Trump said.
“The ballroom essentially becomes a shed for what’s being built under … including from drones and including from any other thing.”
The 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) ballroom will replace the East Wing, which Trump ordered demolished in October. Underneath that building was the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, an emergency bunker for the president.
The demolition drew criticism from lawmakers, historians and preservation advocates, as well as an ongoing lawsuit. Critics objected to the decision to demolish the old structure without federal reviews or public comment, and they have critiqued the massive new facility on aesthetic and historical grounds.
The National Capital Planning Commission, one of two federal bodies required to sign off on 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 dated reception facilities at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest.
(Reporting by Bo Erickson and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Michelle Nichols, Colleen Jenkins and David Gregorio)
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