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White House Dismantles WWII Bunker, Pushes Classified East Wing Rebuild

The administration says stopping the underground work would endanger national security, with costs and details kept secret.

Vice President Cheney talks on the phone in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. According to the 9/11 Commission report, it was inside the shelter’s conference room that he authorized fighter aircraft to engage with United 93 if necessary. “The comms in this place are terrible,” Cheney complained, according to a memoir by counterterrorism official Richard Clarke.
Nixon during a press conference in the East Wing of the White House in January 1969. During his presidency, the bunker beneath was once used to watch a film depicting the president’s daughter’s wedding night to determine if there was cause for legal action, according to a memoir by his White House counsel John Dean.
President George W. Bush attends a National Security Council Meeting about the September 11 terrorist attacks in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center in 2001.
Heavy equipment demolishes a portion of the East Wing of the White House / Donald Trump boards Air Force One on January 16, 2026 in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland

Overview

  • Demolition that began in October 2025 removed the Presidential Emergency Operations Center and other subterranean infrastructure beneath the East Wing, according to sources cited by CNN.
  • At a National Capital Planning Commission meeting, White House official Joshua Fisher pointed to “top-secret” activity below grade to explain why demolition proceeded before typical approvals.
  • A recent court filing defending the project warned that halting the underground construction would “endanger national security” and cited a classified declaration submitted to the court.
  • Plans call for a modern replacement tied to a new East Wing ballroom; Trump says private donors will cover roughly $400 million for the ballroom, while taxpayer funds would pay for the classified security work.
  • The White House declined comment as operational specifics remain classified, and sources and experts note redundant protections exist to safeguard the president during any transition.