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Trump says roof of White House ballroom to be resistant to drone attacks

The US president noted that the construction of the ballroom would be a "gift to the United States" worth $300-400 million, as the project is funded by sponsors, not the federal budget

WASHINGTON, January 26. /TASS/. The roof of the ballroom under construction in the White House will be designed taking into account possible attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles, US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social.

He noted that the construction of the ballroom would be a "gift to the United States" worth $300-400 million, as the project is funded by sponsors, not the federal budget. However, he complained that after the start of work, he was sued by the Radical Left National Trust for Historic Preservation, an organization advocating the preservation of cultural heritage, so construction could be delayed.

"All of the Structural Steel, Windows, Doors, A.C./Heating Equipment, Marble, Stone, Precast Concrete, Bulletproof Windows and Glass, Anti-Drone Roofing, and much more, has been ordered (or is ready to be), and there is no practical or reasonable way to go back. IT IS TOO LATE!" the US president said.

Trump said the ballroom project was coordinated with the top brass and the US secret service, which is responsible for the security of the country's top officials. As Trump noted, once the new ballroom is built, the White House "will no longer be forced to use a cheap and unsafe ‘tent’," which was pitched on the lawn of the residence during major events.

"Stoppage of construction, at this late date, when so much has already been ordered and done, would be devastating to the White House, our Country, and all concerned," the American president concluded.

The project

In July, the Trump administration decided to build a $200 million ballroom in the White House. The 8,400-square-meter addition to the east wing will be able to accommodate about 650 people. According to CBS News, construction should be completed by the summer of 2028. In December, Trump said the project would cost more, as the ballroom would be doubled in size.

The White House, an idea conceived by the first President of the United States, George Washington, began to be built in 1792 by architect James Hoben. Washington chose the location for the building, which was completed on November 1, 1800. On the same day, the second President, John Adams, moved in. The building was reconstructed in 1815-1817 after a fire in 1814.

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