The White House on Friday unveiled plans for a 33,000-square-foot visitor screening center, located below a park southeast of the mansion, the latest step in President Donald Trump’s effort to remake the White House grounds. The new seven-lane screening center would replace temporary trailers and tents that have long been used to screen White House visitors, who sometimes face lengthy wait times during major events. The White House also proposed a new 5,000-square-foot recessed plaza on the south side of Sherman Park abutting the screening center, which the White House said would be used to enter the facility and prevent queuing on 15th Street NW. The White House said that Trump was personally driving the project in an effort to provide “the best experience possible” for White House guests. “Historically when you come to the White House, you go through double-wide trailers — tents out in the cold,” Fisher said.

Source: Washington Post March 14, 2026 00:24 UTC