Trump building 'great drone empire' on White House roof in stunning fortification amid assassination fears

By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT Published: 16:56, 19 May 2026 | Updated: 16:56, 19 May 2026 Donald Trump has revealed that his White House ballroom will come with a new fleet of advanced weaponry.  Standing outside of a giant pit where the East Wing formerly stood, the President gave reporters a tour of the forthcoming White House ballroom that is still under construction.  Flanked by renderings of what the site will look like after completion, expected in late 2028, Trump touted how the new ballroom will be a state-of-the-art venue to host high-level delegations. He also lifted the lid on how the military plans to use the new ballroom.  'It's developed in such a way that we can have military there,' Trump said the ballroom's roof, which will be flat to support soldiers and military tech.  'The entire roof is developed for [the] military,' he added. 'They have a 360 degree vision of Washington DC.' 'On top of the roof, we [will] have the greatest drone empire that you've ever seen, and it's going to protect Washington.'  Specifically, the roof will feature a 'drone port,' Trump said, noting that it will host autonomous weaponry that has become increasingly important in modern conflict. He also said the structure would be missile and bulletproof.  President Donald Trump brought reporters to the construction site of his White House ballroom project on Tuesday morning Trump said the ballroom's roof will have a 'drone port' that will be able to protect Washington As Trump spoke, construction workers could be seen in the background putting the ballroom together 'They have a massive drone capacity, not only is it drone proof, if a drone hits it it bounces off, it won't have any impact, but it's also meant as a drone port that protects all of Washington.' Though he did not delve into further detail, the President's comments could indicate that there will be a fleet of autonomous drones perched on the roof ready for defensive and, potentially, offensive capabilities.  The Republican went on saying that there could even be drone manufacturing capabilities within the ballroom.  'Also for the drone building capacity, some of that takes place right down here,' he said pointing at the construction site.  'You can see the very large piping and the other things that it's a very complex building. It's all knit together.' The President has repeatedly touted the construction of his pet project, despite legal challenges and outrage from Democrats, as a necessary and secure location for official events.  After the third assassination attempt on his life at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in April, Trump has renewed his demands for a secure location for official events.  He has groaned about how during formal ceremonies that feature large crowds have typically been held outside, and how the swampy Washington weather is prone to downpours during such events that soak guests shoes.  Trump also noted that the ballroom will feature some 'drone building capacity' that he alluded would occur on site Drones, like the one from Anduril shown above, have become increasingly important in modern conflicts, like the US-Iran war and the Russian invasion of Ukraine 'On top of the roof, we [will] have the greatest drone empire that you've ever seen, and it's going to protect Washington,' Trump said Behind the President could be seen deep pits where construction crews were hard at work putting together the foundation of what will become the large ballroom.  Critics have slammed Trump's project because, once completed, it will dwarf much of the rest of the White House complex.  The project has also been held up with legal challenges from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The group argues that the construction violates federal law by circumventing required reviews, congressional approval and public input.  Trump has said that he will pay for the building, which is estimated to cost $400 million, and that taxpayers won't be on the hook for it.  He said Tuesday that it will be a 'gift' to future administrations and that Trump will only get to use it for a couple months.  Once finished it is expected to be able to host around 1,000 guests across its 90,000 square foot blueprint.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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