He’s Building a Massive Secret Bunker Beneath the Ballroom!! Amanda w Jon Golinger  

May 5, 2026

Jon Golinger, a democracy advocate and former prosecutor who fought to expose secret White House funding, joins to trace a $400M ballroom and the massive bunker beneath it. Short, punchy takes cover anonymous corporate donors, the strange funding conduit, legal fights that peeled back secrecy, and why oversight matters. A fast, investigative romp about power, money, and what’s being hidden.

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INSIGHT

Bunker Raises Risk Of Enabling Power Retention

The only logical non‑accidental explanation for a luxurious long‑term bunker is it could serve a president refusing to relinquish power.
Amanda frames this as speculation grounded in the president's past refusal to concede and attempts to retain power.

INSIGHT

FOIA Lawsuit Exposed Secret Philanthropic Support Agreement

Public Citizen used FOIA and litigation to force release of a previously hidden Philanthropic Support Agreement that structured fundraising for the project.
The secret agreement tied private donations through a charity into White House spending and required anonymity for donors.

ANECDOTE

Secret Donor Banquet Preceded Sudden East Wing Demolition

Jon recounts a White House donor banquet held the week before bulldozers demolished the East Wing, signaling the project was already being celebrated.
That event included corporate heads and fundraisers and raised red flags for Public Citizen before demolition occurred.

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Why is he building a massive secret bunker?!?!

In today’s jaw-dropping deep dive, Amanda follows the money—and the secrets—behind a $400 million White House ballroom, and what is hiding beneath it. What starts as a flashy construction project unravels into a story about power, secrecy, and the dangerous things that happen when no one is watching.

With democracy advocate Jon Golinger, Amanda goes past the headlines to ask the real question: What is this really about—and who is paying for it?

- Why the “ballroom” might not be about a ballroom at all

- The shocking discovery of a massive underground bunker—and why it matters

- How anonymous corporate ballroom “donors” may be shaping government decisions

- What happens when oversight disappears—and who pays the price

- The bigger question: What are we being told and what’s being hidden

This one isn’t just about politics. It’s about truth, power, and what we’re willing to question.

Also: In this episode, Jon talks about a hotline run by House Democrats for National Parks Employees who may wish to share information about the White House Ballroom Project that concerns them. Here it is: https://democrats-naturalresources.house.gov/contact/tipline

About Jon:

Jon Golinger serves as the Democracy Advocate for Public Citizen, one of the country’s leading government accountability watchdog organizations. Jon and Public Citizen sued to expose the secret agreement funding the President's ballroom project through anonymous private funders. Jon has devoted his career to exposing how corporate dollars shape public policy, pushing for campaign finance reform, and holding elected officials and institutions accountable. Prior to joining Public Citizen, Jon was an Assistant District Attorney and Investigator in the Special Prosecutions Unit of the White Collar Crime Division in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office where he led criminal investigations into public corruption.

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