What donors to Trump's White House ballroom stand to gain from the federal government

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POLITICS
What donors to Trump's White House ballroom stand to gain from the federal government

By Laura Doan, Julia Ingram
October 24, 2025 / 8:17 PM EDT / CBS News

Dozens of executives and companies have donated to fund the construction of President Trump's $300 million ballroom, as many of them eye favorable policy, reduced scrutiny or approval for major deals from the White House. … Donors to the ballroom — which will take the place of the White House's East Wing — include Big Tech companies, defense contractors and other large corporations. The White House has not disclosed how much money each company donated. Mr. Trump has said construction will be funded through private donations and his own money — not taxpayer funds.

CBS News reviewed a list of 37 donors provided by the White House, which included tech firms like Google and Amazon and crypto companies like Ripple and Coinbase. Others that contributed to the project include Nvidia, Susquehanna International Group and ExtremityCare, according to sources familiar with the matter. The president hosted a dinner last week thanking donors, although not everyone invited to the dinner contributed.

Asked for comment on whether these donations present any conflicts, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a statement to CBS News: "The same critics who are wrongly claiming there are conflicts of interests, would complain if taxpayers were footing the bill." … "The donors for the White House ballroom project represent a wide array of great American companies and generous individuals, all of whom are contributing to make the People's House better for generations to come," she added.

Here's a closer look at what some of the donors and dinner guests stand to gain from federal policy or have already received from the administration.

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