El hermetismo que rodea la seguridad de la Casa Blanca dificulta obtener detalles, pero la batalla judicial del presidente Donald Trump por su salón de baile arroja algo de luz sobre un búnker subterráneo en el lugar que ha tenido un papel en la historia.

El búnker salió a la luz en la disputa judicial del gobierno de Trump contra el Fideicomiso Nacional para la Preservación Histórica, que impugna el proyecto del salón de baile de 8.400 metros cuadrados en Washington.

Un tribunal federal de apelaciones permitió la semana pasada que el presidente continúe con la construcción del proyecto de 400 millones de dólares en el sitio de la antigua Ala Este, que fue demolida el año pasado.

Ese fallo dejó en suspenso la orden de un juez de un tribunal inferior que bloqueó la construcción sobre el nivel del suelo, pero eximió los trabajos destinados a garantizar la seguridad y la protección de la Casa Blanca. La apelación del gobierno citó materiales necesarios para crear una instalación fortificada, entre ellos la incorporación de refugios antibombas, dispositivos militares y un centro médico.

La historia del búnker bajo el Ala Este se remonta a la presidencia de Franklin D. Roosevelt, cuando se instaló un refugio antibombas subterráneo en 1942 después de que Estados Unidos entrara en la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Aparte de eso, hay pocos detalles debido al hermetismo derivado de la seguridad presidencial.

Garrett Graff, historiador y autor especializado en seguridad nacional, señaló que el Centro de Operaciones de Emergencia Presidencial bajo el Ala Este siempre estuvo pensado para un uso de corto plazo.

“La idea de la evacuación presidencial y de la continuidad de la presidencia es sacar al presidente del lugar donde todo el mundo sabe que está y llevarlo a un sitio donde la gente no sepa dónde está”, explicó Graff.

Entre las personas notables que han tenido que huir al búnker subterráneo figura el vicepresidente Dick Cheney, llevado allí por los ataques del 11 de septiembre de 2001.

Un agente del Servicio Secreto irrumpió en una sala del Ala Oeste, tomó a Cheney por el cinturón y el hombro y lo condujo al búnker debajo de la Casa Blanca. “No dijo: ‘¿Vamos?’”, contó Cheney a NBC News años después. “No fue cordial al hacerlo”.

Más recientemente, Trump fue llevado a toda prisa al búnker en 2020 en medio de protestas derivadas de la muerte de George Floyd. En ese momento, en el edificio se podían oír cánticos de manifestantes en Lafayette Park, y agentes del Servicio Secreto y de la policía local tuvieron dificultades para controlar a la multitud.

Por qué un salón de baile importa para un búnker
Matthew Quinn, subdirector del Servicio Secreto, escribió en documentos judiciales que es importante que el proyecto del salón de baile siga adelante por razones de seguridad en la Casa Blanca.

“Se necesita una losa y una estructura de recubrimiento sobre el nivel del suelo para garantizar que estructuras subterráneas clave con un propósito de seguridad queden debidamente protegidas y reforzadas”, escribió Quinn.

«Dejar el proyecto sin terminar pone en peligro la capacidad del Servicio Secreto de cumplir su misión legal de proteger al presidente”, añadió.

Trump ofreció el mes pasado una lista de lo que se está haciendo para reforzar la seguridad mientras se construye el salón de baile.

“El techo es a prueba de drones. Tenemos sistemas seguros de manejo de aire. Ya sabe, pasan cosas malas en el aire si hay gente mala», indicó el mandatario. «Tenemos biodefensa por todas partes. Tenemos telecomunicaciones y comunicaciones seguras por todas partes. Estamos construyendo refugios antibombas. Estamos construyendo un hospital y unas instalaciones médicas muy importantes”.

El presidente recurrió a las redes sociales para criticar el fallo del tribunal inferior y sostuvo que la parte subterránea no funcionaría sin la instalación sobre el nivel del suelo.

El Fideicomiso Nacional para la Preservación Histórica ha argumentado que Trump se excedió en su autoridad al avanzar con el proyecto sin obtener la aprobación de agencias federales y del Congreso.

El juez federal de distrito Richard Leon falló a favor del grupo sin fines de lucro a finales de marzo, pero dejó su decisión en suspenso brevemente mientras permitía que continuaran los trabajos subterráneos. El gobierno apeló.

La Corte de Apelaciones para el Circuito del Distrito de Columbia tiene programada una audiencia para el 5 de junio con el fin de revisar el caso.

Los contribuyentes pagarán los aspectos de seguridad del proyecto, aunque Trump ha dicho que el costo del salón de baile se cubrirá con donaciones de personas adineradas y corporaciones. Ha señalado que se trata de una incorporación largamente esperada al complejo de la Casa Blanca.

El presidente escribió en redes sociales que “la parte subterránea está ligada a la parte superior y está al servicio de ella”.

Lo que eso significa en la práctica no está claro y depende en parte del resultado del litigio.

As the war in Iran nears the two-month mark, a new Fox News Poll shows a modest uptick in support, though voters remain divided on key aspects of the conflict – especially over its long-term consequences and U.S. safety.

The survey, released Thursday, shows support for the current military action in Iran at 45%, up from 42% support last month.  A majority of 55% oppose it.

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Still, a slim majority thinks things are going well in Iran (51% well vs. 49% not well), a flip from March when voters said the action was not going well (47% vs. 52%).

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The bump in support for the war can be mostly attributed to non-MAGA Republicans (+11 points in support), Hispanic voters (+10), men over age 45 (+8), and independents (+5).

Looking at the likely effect on security, voters still narrowly say the action will make the U.S. less safe (36% safer, 39% less safe, 25% no difference). However, this gap has narrowed since March (33%, 44%, 23% respectively).

Voters are also not convinced the costs of the war are worth it. A 57% majority believes the action will not improve U.S. safety enough to justify the problems it has created, while 43% say the short-term problems will be worth it in the long run.

Although voters across the board express skepticism, partisan differences are stark. Roughly 3 in 10 Republicans, 7 in 10 independents, and 8 in 10 Democrats, think improved safety does not justify the challenges.

The most important objectives for voters are avoiding a prolonged conflict and keeping the Strait of Hormuz open (80% say it is extremely or very important for each). Majorities also think it’s extremely or very important to end Iran’s nuclear weapons program (72%), support the people of Iran (65%) and bring about changes to Iran’s government (55%).

The top objective for Democrats and independents is avoiding a prolonged conflict, while for Republicans it’s ending Iran’s nuclear program.

Six in 10 (59%) rate the performance of the U.S. military in the conflict as excellent (32%) or good (27%), about where sentiment was last month (58% excellent/good).

More than 5 in 10 independents (53%) and 8 in 10 Republicans (81%) rate the military positively, while just 4 in 10 Democrats agree (40%).

«One of the more remarkable statistics attesting to the country’s intense polarization is that when asked about the U.S. military’s performance in Iran, by 20 percentage points Democrats rate it negatively, and it’s difficult to proffer an explanation other than those who dislike President Trump are unwilling to say anything positive about anything he touches,» says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who works on Fox News polls with Democrat Chris Anderson.

Among those who have served in the military, support for the current action in Iran has dipped slightly (down 4 points since March), but a majority still supports it (57%), thinks things are going well (65%), rates the military positively (78% excellent/good) and half think the military action will make the U.S. safer (50%).

Trump said Tuesday the U.S. will extend its ceasefire with Iran, a day before it was set to end and amid a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports. This comes as peace talks in Pakistan involving Vice President JD Vance were delayed as Iran has not committed to participating yet. The survey was conducted April 17-20.

When asked to rate how tough Trump has been on Iran, more voters say he’s been too tough (40%), rather than not tough enough (28%) or about right (30%).

The 40% saying Trump is too tough is up from 18% in May 2019 (the last time the question was asked) – mainly driven by Democrats and independents thinking he’s too tough now.

When it comes to the president’s approach to China, however, results are reversed: 21% say he’s too tough, 40% not tough enough, and 38% about right.  

More broadly, Trump’s job performance on foreign policy is underwater by 20 points (40% approve, 60% disapprove).  He does slightly better on his handling of China (42%, 57%) but worse on Iran (37%, 63%).

His overall job rating sits at 42% approve and 58% disapprove, about where it was last month (41%-59%).

Some Cabinet officials are also facing headwinds in their job performance. Vance’s net approval rating is -11 points (44% approve – 55% disapprove) and down from -8 in December.

Sec. of State Rubio’s net approval rating is -12, down from -5, which is the steepest decline in the Cabinet (44% approve, 56% disapprove).

Sec. of War Hegseth’s rating ticked up 2 points to -17, but he remains the lowest rated of the three (41% approve, 58% disapprove).

Iran is not the only foreign policy issue where voters are divided. They are split on U.S. support of Israel, as 40% say it’s too supportive, another 40% about right, and 19% say not supportive enough.

At 40%, the share saying the U.S. is too supportive is the highest since 2023, up from 35% the last time the question was asked in September 2025.

Democrats under age 45 (+9 points saying too supportive since 2025) and Republicans under age 45 (+7), are increasingly more likely to feel the U.S. is too supportive of Israel.  Republicans ages 45+ have the highest share of those who think support is about right (70%) while Democrats ages 45+ say too supportive (57%).

The largest share of Protestants (45%), Catholics (44%), and White Catholics (48%) say support is about right.

On Ukraine, 39% of voters say the U.S. should be doing more to support them against Russia, 26% say less and 34% feel the U.S. is doing the right amount. This is close to where sentiment has been since last summer. 

One more thing…

Trump is a frequent poster on social media, and a majority of voters see these posts as instant reactions to current events (65%) rather than strategic efforts to accomplish goals (34%).

Still, the number viewing them as strategic is up 15 points since 2018, when only 19% said his tweeting had a broader purpose.  At that time, 28% of Republicans felt his tweeting was strategic compared to the 52% who feel that way about his social media posts today. That compares with smaller increases among independents (+13 points) and Democrats (+4).

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Conducted April 17-20, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,001 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (116) and cellphones (635) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (250). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee escalated scrutiny of the Southern Poverty Law Center on Thursday, demanding documents from the nonprofit after a federal indictment alleged the group funneled millions in donor funds to extremist organizations.

Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, wrote in a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital to SPLC President Bryan Fair that the GOP-led committee was investigating any coordination between the SPLC and the Biden Department of Justice and FBI, both of which had used the left-wing nonprofit as a resource. 

Jordan demanded a slate of documents from the SPLC by April 30, a request that comes after his Republican counterparts in the Senate also ramped up scrutiny of the SPLC and after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche hinted at more possible indictments related to the group.

The intensifying investigations into the SPLC, expanding from the DOJ to Congress, come after Jordan’s committee previously investigated the group, saying it was known for «maligning several mainstream conservative and religious organizations as ‘hate groups,’» such as Moms for Liberty and Turning Point USA, and that the Biden DOJ improperly used it for civil rights enforcement.

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«Publicly available documents revealed how the Justice Department partnered closely with the SPLC during the Biden-Harris Administration, including scheduling regular meetings, giving the SPLC early access to federal law-enforcement data, and allowing SPLC employees to train federal prosecutors,» Jordan wrote. «The new information about the SPLC alleged in the indictment only raises further questions.»

Jordan also noted that a controversial internal memo originating from the FBI Richmond Field Office during Director Christopher Wray’s tenure, which framed so-called radical-traditionalist Catholics as a group of people more prone to violent crime, used the SPLC as a source for its findings. The memo surfaced in 2023, with Wray later retracting it and saying it was an «appalling» breach of religious freedom.

Jordan’s letter pointed out that the Richmond memo was among more than a dozen FBI documents that used the SPLC as a resource.

The DOJ on Tuesday charged the SPLC with several counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank and conspiracy to commit money laundering, alleging the group defrauded donors for more than a decade.

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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke during a press conference alongside FBI Director Kash Patel at the Department of Justice April 21, 2026, in Washington, D.C., about the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center on charges related to money laundering. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Prosecutors said the nonprofit, which promotes its efforts to fight White supremacy, misled donors by using shell companies to mask how donor funds were used. More than $3 million was paid through the shell companies to informants who participated in activities involving the Ku Klux Klan and the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement, among others, prosecutors alleged.

«The SPLC’s paid informants … engaged in the active promotion of racist groups at the same time that the SPLC was denouncing the same groups on its website,» prosecutors wrote, noting one informant allegedly went so far as to help plan the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

«Congress has an important interest in protecting Americans from extremist violence and criminal activity,» Jordan wrote in his letter. «The Committee on the Judiciary has been conducting oversight of the Biden-Harris Administration’s close coordination with the SPLC on federal civil rights matters.»

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Neo-Nazis, the alt-right and White supremacists take part in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. (Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday set its sights on a woman previously affiliated with the SPLC who was a federal judge and Biden appointee serving a lifetime appointment on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

«Every individual associated with SPLC should have to answer for what they knew about the organization’s extremist ties, and when,» committee Republicans wrote in a statement on X. 

«That includes Nancy Abudu, SPLC’s former litigation director who Biden appointed as a lifetime judge on the 11th Circuit.»

Just before the DOJ announced charges, Fair said in a public statement that the federal investigation was political rather than sincere.

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«They have made no secret of who they want to protect and who they want to destroy,» Fair said, noting the group no longer works with paid informants but adding they had «risked their lives» to infiltrate extremist groups.

Fox News Digital reached out to the SPLC and Abudu’s chambers for comment.