Trump's Massive White House Ballroom: A Bold Makeover

0:00It's March 30th. This is Vancouver News today, AI-powered stories from your city. President Trump dropped the bombshell Sunday, saying the military is building a massive complex right under the White House ballroom. He spilled this on Air Force One, noting it leaked from a lawsuit, but construction is ahead of schedule and going strong. The East Wing is getting demolished to make way for this huge new event space. That spot used to house the presidential emergency operations center, key for secret trips, evacuations, and sheltering leaders. Think Dick Cheney hiding there on September 11th, 2001, before the Pentagon hit, or Trump and staff ducking protests in May 20th, 20th. Folks are fired up about it, with big backlash from preservation groups who sued to stop the 90,000 square foot ballroom. They lost that round, but the National Capital Planning Commission votes on it this April. Trump waved around digital renderings, calling it almost a twin to the White House in the greatest ballroom anywhere.

1:00He says private donors, including Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Meta, are footing the bill, no taxpayer cash. This caps off the boldest White House makeover in the second term. A legacy move set to stick around for generations.