Trump’s East Wing Renovation May Include a ‘Top Secret’ Bunker Below the White House Ballroom

The East Wing renovation at the White House may also include hidden construction on a secret underground facility, sources with knowledge of the plans told CNN.

An underground bomb shelter that was reportedly built beneath the East Wing during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency after the attack on Pearl Harbor is likely being upgraded and outfitted with new technology to address evolving threats, a source told CNN.

The original bunker was reportedly accessed through a “vault-style door” and stocked with emergency supplies such as beds, shelf-stable food, water and other essentials. It also housed the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC), a centralized command center used by presidents and senior staff during major crises.

One source described the FDR-era bunker to CNN as “a very complicated submarine that was built in the 1940s — a self-contained unit, [with] separate power backups, separate water backups, separate air filtration.” The person added that “all the infrastructure is 1940s infrastructure” and suggested parts may have been dismantled as the latest White House renovation moved forward, a project that began in October.

An insider told CNN they had “a high degree of confidence” that “all of the subterranean structures” — including the PEOC and other underground areas used by the White House Military Office and the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division — “seems to be gone” now that construction is underway. The same source said there are still contingencies in place to protect the president in the event of an emergency.

Although sources discussed what lies beneath the East Wing, the White House has not publicly acknowledged the facility.

Asked about the renovation, White House director of management and administration Joshua Fisher said, per CNN, the project will “(enhance) mission critical functionality,” “make necessary security enhancements” and “(deliver) resilient, adaptive infrastructure aligned with future mission needs.”

Fisher also referenced “top-secret” work happening as part of the renovation, adding that the effort “does not preclude us from changing the above-grade structure, but that work needed to be considered when doing this project.”

The White House has also defended the controversial East Wing renovation in a court filing obtained by CNN, arguing that halting construction could “endanger national security and therefore impair the public interest.”

Trump announced the East Wing renovation late last year. The plan includes adding a 90,000-square-foot White House Ballroom, which he said is intended to “modernize” the East Wing and create a dedicated space to host foreign dignitaries.

The projected cost has climbed steadily since the project was first announced at an estimated $200 million, and now sits around $400 million.

In an early press release on the renovation, officials said: “The White House Ballroom will be substantially separated from the main building of the White House, but at the same time, its theme and architectural heritage will be almost identical. The site of the new ballroom will be where the small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits.”

Trump has also made several changes to historical elements of the White House since returning to office in 2025, including updates to the Rose Garden, the Palm Room and the Oval Office.