Trump pulls back curtain on White House ballroom’s fortress-like defenses above and deep below
President Donald Trump gave reporters a fresh look Tuesday at construction of the new White House ballroom, touting it as a hardened security structure that runs six stories into the...
By Fox News · Fox News
President Donald Trump gave reporters a fresh look Tuesday at construction of the new White House ballroom, touting it as a hardened security structure that runs six stories into the ground. "This goes down very deep," Trump said Tuesday from outside of the White House, motioning for reporters to check out construction updates. "You get a better view right over here. … These are already down two floors. That is down about six stories deep. That's big stuff. Normally, when you build a ballroom, you build it flat. You just throw the ballroom. It would have been built." Trump said the future White House ballroom not just as an event venue, but as a hardened security structure designed to support presidential operations and large gatherings amid heightened concerns following a shooting tied to the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. 'SHARK TANK' STAR BACKS TRUMP'S WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM PLAN AMID SECURITY CONCERNS: ‘IT’S BIPARTISAN’ Trump revealed that the ballroom will run about six stories deep, describing the building as made of "impenetrable" steel and four-inch-thick glass. He said 9,000 pounds of concrete is being used. He said the building would include a military hospital research facilities, various meeting rooms and security infrastructure tied to drone and missile defense . The roof is "dead flat" with "absolutely nothing but strength on it," said Trump as he went on to describe the roof as a "drone port" with "unlimited numbers of drones " and military positioning capacity. "I hate to use the word snipers, but we have great sniper capacities built for our snipers. Not the enemy snipers, our snipers. And because of the height, we get a very clear view of everything all over Washington," said Trump. PHOTOS: THE MAKING OF TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM, A LOOK AT THE CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS Responding to questions about the ballroom funding, Trump said Congress is approving funds for security enhancements, while stressing that he and donors, who are fund…