Donald Trump says new White House ballroom will be drone, missile and bulletproof

US President Donald Trump has described his new White House ballroom as a fortified venue designed to protect visiting world leaders from drones bullets and missiles saying construction was ahead of schedule and under budgetStanding at the building site on Wednesday as workers prepared to raise the final steel beam Trump said the structure would be far more than a ceremonial hallIts drone proof its missile proof its bulletproof he said describing a roof walls and windows that he claimed could withstand attacksTrump said the ballroom would be capable of hosting dinners for 2000 to 2500 guests while providing what he called extraordinary security for the President and foreign leaders including those from China and RussiaThis is the safest place in Washington he said asserting that its reinforced roof could even support helicoptersThe US President also described extensive work below groundHe said the project extended five storeys beneath the building and that the military had used the opportunity to incorporate facilities it had wanted for decadesWe did everything they wanted he said without providing details of the underground arrangementsTrump added that the roof was being designed as a drone port capable of holding more than 100 dronesHe called the buildings steel framework unusually heavy and said the roof was not merely intended to keep out the rainHe said the ballrooms ceiling would rise more than 50 feet comparable to a fivestorey buildingOutside tall Corinthian limestone columns were being prepared while the interior would feature marble flooring and extensive glassThe existing White House reception space he said was too small for many large state eventsHe recalled being unable to accommodate a request involving hundreds of guests during a visit by King CharlesTrump said a glass passage would link the ballroom to the existing White House spaces with the kitchen below the main floor to preserve views and usable spaceThe event marked the installation of the final structural beam signed by workers and then by the President More than 500 construction workers were presentTrump thanked them and said the hardest part of the work had been undergroundHe attributed the pace of construction to the contractors and tradespeople on siteHe also said private donors were paying for the projectWe didnt use taxpayers money to build this ballroom he said describing it as a gift to the countryAlthough he said the ballroom would eventually open Trump did not announce a fixed completion dateIn an exchange with reporters he suggested it could be ready around July of the following year depending on finishing workConstruction of the White House began in 1792 and the first US President moved into the building in 1800The complex has undergone repeated extensions restorations and security upgrades as the demands of the Presidency have changedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever