Leaked Records Reveal Corporate Donors for White House Ballroom

A leaked internal spreadsheet obtained by The Washington Post reveals that Donald Trump has raised $333 million in private donations for a 90,000-square-foot gold-plated ballroom at the White House. The project, which replaces the demolished East Wing, includes national security features such as bomb shelters and drone defenses. While the president previously claimed the project was funded by himself and friends, he does not appear on the donor list.

Major contributors include Nvidia, Apple, the Adelson family, and Dish Network chairman Charles Ergen, who each gave $25 million. Other significant donations came from the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Foundation ($20.27 million), Lockheed Martin ($10 million), and Palantir ($10 million). Alphabet Inc. also contributed $22 million via a censorship lawsuit settlement. The funds were managed by the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving White House grounds.

Critics and legal experts have raised concerns over influence peddling, noting that half of the funds came from entities with federal contracts. For example, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff committed $3 million around the time the U.S. Army awarded his company a $5.6 billion single-bid contract. Senator Elizabeth Warren described the nonprofit as a vehicle for donor access and politicized fundraising.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle dismissed conflict-of-interest allegations and vowed to pursue the leaker. The project proceeded after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled 5-4 on August 31 to allow construction, though Chief Justice John Roberts dissented, stating the project was "likely unlawful."