Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Trump’s gilded ballroom loses its pretext for existing

 

Trump’s gilded ballroom loses its pretext for existing

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/8/24/800088607/whitehouse/white-house-ballroom-bunker-pretext-lost/ 

Trump’s gilded ballroom loses its pretext for existing

by Lisa Needham
Staff
151
Share:




Save
149 Comments
Add Daily Kos to Google
President Donald Trump tours Ballroom construction around the outside the White House, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Donald Trump tours the ballroom construction around the outside the White House on May 19.AP

After all of the White House’s insistence that President Donald Trump’s ballroom would be a lid over the world’s most top-secret and most necessary military installation, so top secret that Trump has blabbed about it constantly, it turns out that there was already a secret White House bunker.

Whoopsie.

The Washington Post reports that in the wake of 9/11, federal officials built an actually secret bunker deep under the White House. And do you want to know which president managed to complete this bunker without blabbing it to the whole world? Yep, one Barack Obama.

Man, that’s gotta sting for Trump.

The bunker that Obama completed is over 60 feet below the White House complex, can house dozens of people for weeks, and should withstand a nuclear blast. In other words, it’s all the things Trump has insisted he’s building under the East Wing ballroom.

The White House, of course, is refusing to acknowledge this reality and is instead burbling on about how much the “East Wing Modernization Project” is “inextricably tied to the security of the President, the White House grounds and the certain security infrastructure assets.” That’s from Davis Ingle, one of the worst comms cretins this administration has.

Construction continues on the ballroom where the East Wing used to stand at the White House, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
Construction continues on the ballroom where the East Wing used to stand at the White House on Feb. 13.AP

But you see, according to Ingle, the ballroom is still necessary because we need all that secret bunker stuff above ground because it is “severely needed for large scale events,” with “drone proof structures and drone ports among other critical security enhancements.”

Oh right, the bulletproof, drone-proof ballroom is going to have gigantic glass windows, but listen, they’re going to be totally impenetrable, using presumably the same magic glass that would form the “glass bridge” from the White House to the ballroom. That said, the reports of a glass bridge are from almost a year ago, so perhaps they scrapped that part of the plan.

Fam, is a building with so much glass really the most secure place to hold big events, even if you put a sniper nest on top of it and a hospital below, or whatever? 

The fact that a White House bunker already exists may be why Trump has been so loath to follow the law and seek approval and funding from Congress for his ballroom. It’s pretty tough to claim you need millions for a second bunker on the same grounds. But how else was Trump going to justify the ballroom ballooning from $200 million to nearly $1 billion? Or that this thing went from supposedly costing zero taxpayer dollars to costing an awful lot of taxpayer dollars?

Indeed, nothing about the ballroom-as-bunker-lid makes sense when you remember that Trump originally said the bribers—er, donors—would be paying for it all. Were the donors told they were secretly funding a Dr. Evil-style lair underneath the White House? Probably not! 

All of this makes it clear that the ballroom was always just a ballroom and that the military complex beneath it was invented out of whole cloth to justify the ballroom. And once Trump came up with that genius idea, everyone surrounding him just ran with it. 

Meanwhile, thanks to Mr. Balls and Strikes, Chief Justice John Roberts himself, Trump can keep building whatever it is he’s building. That’s pretty handy since Trump is racing to build as much of the thing as possible so that he can say it’s simply too far along not to complete.

Once again, Trump tries and fails to imitate or top the efforts of Obama. Instead, he’s replacing a once-secret bunker with a laughable pretense that his vanity ballroom is necessary for the safety of the nation. 

Can’t wait for the next Democratic administration to tear the whole thing down, especially now that we know that the big, secret, totally necessary bunker was there all along. Nobody needs this gilded palace of sin.

We'll get straight to the point: The financial hardships that Daily Kos is facing this year are tough.

We continue to be paywall-free. We continue to be supported by our readers, not billionaires or corporations. But we need to bring in more revenue. We are leaning on our community more than ever to help make ends meet.

$
OR
Donate with
4 Tags

Was this story worth reading?

Recommending and sharing stories helps us decide which stories are most important to show our readers.

151
Share:




Conversation

|

All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. The views expressed in comments are those of the individual authors and don't necessarily reflect the views of Daily Kos.

All Comments

  2. Comment by JimTheGeek.

    But Obama gave Joe the keys to the door and Joe left with them in his pocket.

  3. Comment by KaliDava.

    I mean, he *obviously* can't use the Obama bunker!

  4. Comment by BobRR.

    I would love to see all that expensive fancy white marble pounded into sand.

  5. Comment by Britgray.

    I thought we knew there was a bunker. Didn't Trump get hustled into it at some point in his first....occupation?

    • Reply by positron.

      Good catch.

      Maybe T found it too small to fit his ego. Or too many non-gildable surfaces.

    • Reply by texasboomer.

      We absolutely did know that there was an already an underground bunker there, that’s why I was initially wondering why they kept talking about building it and the press never mentioned it. But the way Trump’s described it, there will be a fully operational hospital, military communications center, weapons, and I can’t remember all the rest—basically a complete underground city rather than just a temporary shelter. Where he, his family, and selected cronies can live in comfort in case he starts another war—or, Americans try to drag him out of the White House.

  6. Comment by DLSmad.

    It really should be built as an annex to Maralago, I think. Think long term Don.

  7. Comment by left MIDDLE right.

    "Nobody needs this gilded palace of sin."

    Are you kidding the whole Republican Leadership needs a "gilded palace of sin", why do you think they are in politics?

    • Reply by BobRR.

      LOL! But this shit pile of FINE marble and gold will be bulldozed, I hope, as the Democratic president's first order of business on January 20, 2029. And I hope the debris will be trucked to the nearest Trump golf course.

    • Reply by srgd78.

      No need to waste even more money. Just rename it after Obama or Biden. Naming it after both would be a hoot! When he is gone, just rename anything with trump on it.

    • Reply by BobRR.

      LOL! No, we need to waste more money and demolish this garbage.

    • Reply by Nib.

      Perfect!!!

      "Invitation to the Grand Opening of The Epstein Memorial Ballroom (please note no children allowed until after the fuss has died down)".

  8. Comment by bigwhoop.

    Unlike Obama, who could keep secrets, for Cheeto Caligula the most important thing is for you to know he has knowledge of top secrets, then he has to reveal them so you know how big the secrets were and can be envious of him. He's that dumb and insecure. Hard to believe, but it's a fact, he's an insecure narcissist moron and that's why he needs to brag all the time. The fact that they let him know anything top-secret is terrifying because rather than the safety of the nation, his #1 priority is corruption, figuring out how he can monetize them to line his own pockets.

    • Reply by BobRR.

      LOL! I love this comment!

    • Reply by bigwhoop.

      If only it weren't 100% the absolute truth. He's been compromised, by himself.

    • Reply by Nib.

      It's so secure, the blueprints are on Telegram.

  9. Comment by Bartskid1.

    I didn't know Obama build a bunker under the WH, but then unlike the felon occupant, Obama didn't boast. It would be an eye opener if some of the democratic candidates running would bring this up because today's MSM won't. Also the true cost to taxpayers should be revealed, while hospitals close and our troops were just stuck on a ship for over 200 days, running out of food. Trump's Priorities?

    This could be effective in states denied Aid, and healthcare, states where children can't get food, and education has become something Republicans seem to push as a waste??

    Reminding the pubic what they could have if not for Trumps billion dollar vanity projects. And what next dead president will he put his name on, or build for himself?

    • Reply by Nib.

      Washington Crossing the Delaware could be improved by a sharpie of trump in front of him, pointing to where the new golden trump military monument is going to be?

  10. Comment by MikefromOrland.

    Trump ran the operation to capture Maduro from behind black curtains at Mar A Lago, but he needs a department store sized military center at the White House? The open grift this guy displays is beyond measure, ain't it? The supplication of the Roberts court is galling, ain't it?

    • Reply by Nib.

      "Trump ran the operation..." That would be micro-management: he just told people to do something to distract from Epstein and Miller, probably, fed Hegseth the pabulum with a small spoon.

  11. Comment by MikefromOrland.

    Natalie needs to give Trump swatch books with samples for the columns, the flooring, the actual tiolets, etc.

    The Remodeling Apprentice himself holding up architectural BS prints for a project- like he's a damn Egyptian Pharoah and he's building a pyramid at Giza, FFS.

    This is what Republican legislators surrendered power for? A fake Pharoah? A fake pyramid while the real pyramid enriches The Trump Organization?

    • Reply by BobRR.

      I think the columns should be Ionic instead of Corinthian. Corinthian was for ancient Roman sissies.

    • Reply by jakebob.

      IMHO Ironic columns are more appropriate, if not zircon-encrusted Sardonics.

    • Reply by positron.

      But these are bigger. They're Two Corinthians.

    • Reply by BobRR.

      LOL!

    • Reply by BobRR.

      LOL!

    • Reply by Nib.

      Don't think that I get that, although "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses", out of context, seems appropriate.

      Columns would indicate Stoicism though, so maybe skip those, unless they were under-age Caryatids? Coulombs would be too dark, ironically.

  12. Comment by ket1.

    Okay, now the Angry Orange's desperate need for a WH ballroom finally makes sense. It's really Obama Derangement Syndrome for an 'improved' underground bunker! Nothing quite like digging one's own hole.

  13. Comment by djvalder.

    My understanding is that the Obama bunker was destroyed when Trump ordered the East Wing demolished.

    So, No, we don't already have a bunker.

    • Reply by BobRR.

      Don't we still have the bunker built after 9-11 which is 60 feet down? I thought Obama only modernized the WW2 FDR bunker, much closer to the surface. But I only know what I read, which is not always reliable.

    • Reply by SusanMRodT.

      I think the deeper (60') is still there. The shallower second world war was demolished by the tRump ballroom destruction

    • Reply by djvalder.

      I'll take your word for it. Thanks

  14. Comment by bumpa.

    Obviously, Obama’s secret bunker wasn’t as ostentatious as befitting [tmurps] tastes. What’s the point of having a “secret bunker if no one knows about it or can see the Gold Trim?

  15. Comment by MartyM.

    I don’t understand Where preparing & cooking food & storing drinks would be kept in Ballroom?

    The bunker could be used - unless they’re gonna use a catering Truck….hmmm

  16. Comment by tmseattle.

    Jeez, you would think that we could just make Trump pay for it with his ill gotten gain. Why should American tax payers have to pay for this unauthorized ruination of the White House? How is the president able to use taxpayer money for this stuff without Congressional authorization?

    • Reply by MartyM.

      Well we can Try to force him to Pay - if his 6 Extremists will allow it.

    • Reply by Harvey Manfrenjensenden.

      Trump's wallet has never been removed from his pocket.

    • Reply by composernan.

      Because the whole Republican Party which could stop him is doing nothing. Most are hacks who have no idea how to govern well, and the rest have been bullied into cooperation. Kompromat?

    • Reply by highonthehill.

      You might take this issue up with John Roberts.

    • Reply by Beelzebug.

      vote for me in the next Prez election and you can be DAMN sure I will take it up.

    • Reply by srgd78.

      Because the cowardly repubs value their jobs over their country and the oath they took to protect it from domestic enemies.

    • Reply by Nib.

      Deep pockets, short arms, as they say of misers.

  17. Comment by eliteDAF.

    Considering the frantic pace of construction and frequent modifications reported in the design, I have to believe that the NEXT president, presuming they care about things like safety inspections and construction standards, will be REQUIRED to tear this thing down immediately. Anybody want to trust that any construction company hired by Trump would be conscientious enough to follow legal standards that weren't being enforced?

    • Reply by anon004.

      If they can't even put down a pool lining, I seriously doubt they can do any kind of construction.

    • Reply by Leftleaner.

      Aside from that it will likely be so full of microphones connected to Russia and China and Israel and Saudi Arabia and who knows where else that cell phones won’t work there for all the electronic interference.

    • Reply by highonthehill.

      I wonder if it will be built of "mob cement" like Trump Tower.

    • Reply by Bartskid1.

      The Reflecting Pool comes to mind. Do we know who has this private ( not congressionally approved) Ballroom contract? Are they cleared by the Secret Service, or can they just walk in and out? Who pays them? Do we know?

    • Reply by BobRR.

      ❤️

  18. Comment by Angel Of Fear.

    He has a ballroom at mar a crapo, which is where he spends most of his time anyways. He already has bribes going through there. Why he brought this headache and more attention to his fuck ups makes no sense. Did rump finally feel insulted where every sane person shit on his decision to do everything important (and classified) at mar a crapo? We'll never know.

    • Reply by Paul A.

      And he plans to build one at his Bedminster golf club, too.

    • Reply by Bartskid1.

      Are we still paying for upgrades to his own plane as we did in Trump's last occupation? I recall he also charged the Secret Service golf fees for guarding him there.

    • Reply by BobRR.

      $400 million, I think, for the Iraqi gift plane. And it's still not secure.

    • Reply by Nib.

      For Waltzes of Mass Distraction.

  20. Comment by gatsby1925.

    This old town is filled with sin

    It'll swallow you in

    If you've got some money to burn

    Take it home right away

    You've got three years to pay

    And Satan is waiting his turn

    The scientists say it'll all wash away

    But we don't believe anymore

    'Cause we've got our recruits

    In their green mohair suits

    So please show your I. D. At the door

    Chorus:

    This old earthquake's gonna leave me in the poorhouse

    It seems like this whole town's insane

    On the thirty-first floor your gold-plated door

    Won't keep out the Lord's burning rain

    A fool came around tried to clean up this town

    His ideas made some people mad

    But he trusted in his crowd

    So he spoke right out loud

    And they lost the best friend they ever had

    Chorus

    On the thirty-first floor your gold-plated door

    Won't keep out the Lord's burning rain

Add your comment

Active Conversations

The following is a list of the most commented articles in the last 7 days.

Trending Conversations

The following is a list of the most commented articles in the last 2 days.

 

Posted by at
Labels:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)