Nvidia, Cisco, and Microsoft were among the big-name companies to have donated millions of dollars to President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project.
Reporters from The Washington Post reportedly obtained an internal spreadsheet used to track contributions, which revealed the names behind more than $330 million in donations, less than the president’s estimate that the project needs around $400 million.
Apple reportedly made the joint-largest donation at $25 million, matched by Dish Network, EchoStar co-founder Charlie Ergen, and The Adelson Family Foundation, a pro-Israeli charitable foundation of the late magnate Sheldon Adelson, whose company operated The Venetian hotel in Las Vegas.
Nvidia also gave $25 million, while Google’s $22 million donation came as part of a resolution to the President’s lawsuit against YouTube for suspending his account in the wake of the 6 January attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Amazon, Cisco, Meta, and ServiceNow each reportedly donated $5 million, while Microsoft and Palantir gave $10 million. Carriers also got involved, with T-Mobile US and Comcast donating $5 million and $7.5 million, respectively. Defense contractor Lockheed Martin, crypto firms like Ripple and Coinbase, and utility company NextEra Energy also donated, according to the report.
Donations were sent via a nonprofit trust, with donors receiving a pledge form for backing their donation to the “Donald J. Trump Ballroom.”
President Trump’s ballroom project involves demolishing the historic East Wing. Described by the White House as “a much-needed and exquisite addition,” once completed, it’ll span some 90,000 total square feet with a seated capacity of 650 people. Construction was briefly halted following a court order stating the ballroom project would have required congressional approval, which was subsequently overturned by the Supreme Court.
The ballroom is expected to be completed by 2028, with previous reports suggesting the project’s costs could soar to $600 million.
The billionaire president himself was not listed on the list of contributors despite previously stating during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that the ballroom was “being paid for a hundred percent by me and some friends of mine, donors to it. The Government is paying absolutely nothing.”
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