The White House Secret Bunker or most popularly known as “The Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC)” is located underground of the East Wing building in the White House. The major reason for building this bunker was to provide secure shelter and communication to the President of the United States during an emergency.
History:
This special bunker was built back during the time of World War II when Franklin D. Roosevelt used to be the President of the USA. And, the bunker was built especially for him so that he would be protected from an aerial attack that was happening in Washington. Since then, the idea of keeping the President as well as other staff and personnel in the PEOC has still remained the same.
September 11 Attacks:
On September 11, 2001, a series of terrorist attacks happened in the United States of America. This terrorist attack is usually termed as the deadliest terrorist attack in Human History. As soon as the news came out, Vice President Dick Cheney was immediately evacuated from his office and sent to the secret bunker. Along with him, his wife, Lynne Cheney, and other various politicians including Norman Mineta, Maria Matalin, Lewis Libby, Condoleezza Rice, and other Secret Service agents were also kept for security. However, the President of that time, George Walker Bush was in Florida.
President Donald Trump in the bunker
With the huge protests over George Floyd’s death in front of the White House building on May 29, 2020. The news came out that President Donald Trump was sent to the secret bunker. This made a lot of concerns over the situation in the White House. But later, Trump came out to speak in the Fox News Radio interview with host Brian Kilmeade. According to the president, there was a lot of fake news and the situation was all good in the White House. Although there were protests, the protestors were only in a small group and they never created problems.
So, Donald Trump was really kept in the bunker for an hour or so? According to Trump, he himself visited the bunker, but only for a short period of time. The main reason he went there was for a short inspection. When asked about the earlier reports about his safety, the president clearly denied and stated all of them as ‘fake news’.
Who along with Donald Trump visited the PEOC?
During the interview with Brian Kilmeade, President Trump did mention that he was not alone when he went downstairs. However, he did not mention who along with him went inside. Earlier, it was reported that he was rushed into the bunker along with the first lady, Melania Trump, and their son, Barron. As the protests had gone hotter but with the clear denial of the president, the controversies have even spread further. Also, Trump mentioned that he had not visited the bunker at night, but it was during the day.
Facts to know about the bunker:
The bunker is deep five stories down from the White House Building. Interesting is the fact that the bunker has its own food as well as air supply and it has been completely sealed from the aboveground area. This is why no radiation will harm it even if there is a nuclear attack. Also, the bunker is surrounded by very thick concrete walls. The food stock there can last months and the air supply is also self-contained. The bunker contains numerous number of tunnels. Some of the known tunnels include the two tunnels that completely leave the mansion, another one tunnel leads to the Treasury Building. And even there is one tunnel that leads to the entrance on H Street.
