2 min read
Do you think President Trump watches Paradise? We know the man loves his TV, but is he keeping up with the latest and greatest on streaming? We ask because it sure seems like Trump is building his own version of a bunker beneath the White House.
On March 29, Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One and, per The New York Times, basically spelled out that his lavish and pointless ballroom construction project in the East Wing is just the top layer for an even bigger, more expensive project: a massive underground bunker. Said Trump: “The military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, and that’s under construction, and we’re doing very well.”
In case you haven’t seen Paradise yet (and you really should, it’s one of our favorite shows this season), it’s a post-apocalyptic thriller that takes place in the aftermath of a climate catastrophe. About 30,000 lucky Americans retreat into “Paradise,” an underground bunker built in secret by the President of the United States (played by James Marsden) and several top, however shady allies. Sterling K. Brown stars as a Secret Service agent who investigates the President’s murder (spoilers?) inside the bunker. It’s awesome.
Anyway, it sounds like Trump’s bunker isn’t as elaborate as the one in Paradise, which is basically a small city with an artificial sun. But the Times further quotes Trump, who stated the project will include “very major medical facilities,” and that the ballroom on top of it will have “high-grade bulletproof glass” windows to protect it from aerial and ground strikes. So basically, imagine some formal event having well-dressed guests act as human shields to the actual VIPs underground.
This actually isn’t new: The Presidential Emergency Operations Center, or PEOC, has been under the White House East Wing since World War II and is designed to protect POTUS and other top officials during emergencies. (The Times cites 9/11 as an example.) Trump himself was already there during the 2020 protests over George Floyd’s death.
But the PEOC as it used to be is gone, and has been since the East Wing’s big renovation started for Trump’s ballroom. Exact details about the facility are secret, save for whatever Trump blurts out in front of cameras. When White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt spoke to the press the Monday after the Air Force One statements, she said (per The Mirror US): “I cannot tell you more about that, actually, as a matter of fact … The military is making some upgrades to their facilities here at the White House, and I’m not privy to provide any more details on that.”
It is unknown at this time if Trump’s bunker will also have two Arby’s. (You gotta watch the season 2 finale to get that reference.)
