Who is funding Donald Trump’s $250 million White House ballroom project? All you need to know

Ongoing construction on the East Wing of the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed ballroom is being built, in Washington. (REUTERS)

As construction begins on US President Donald Trump’s new $250 million (Rs 2,087 crore) White House ballroom, questions are mounting over who exactly is paying for it. The grand project, expected to become one of the most lavish additions in presidential history, has drawn scrutiny from ethics experts and political opponents alike.

Groundbreaking for the 90,000 sq ft (8,360 sq m) ballroom began on Monday, with excavators and construction crews demolishing portions of the East Wing. Trump has said he will personally fund a significant portion of the construction, while unnamed private donors and corporations are expected to contribute millions more.

According to the BBC, the president suggested that some anonymous donors were ready to give over $20 million to complete the project. However, the lack of transparency over donor identities has sparked concern that the contributions may amount to paying for political access.

Ethics concerns grow over donor secrecy

“I view this enormous ballroom as an ethics nightmare,” Richard Painter, a former chief ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration, told the BBC. “It’s using access to the White House to raise money. I don’t like it. These corporations all want something from the government.”

A donor dinner held on 15 October reportedly included executives from major US firms such as Blackstone, OpenAI, Microsoft, Coinbase, Palantir, Lockheed Martin, Amazon, and Google. Also in attendance were sports team owners Woody Johnson and the Glazer family, who own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Manchester United.

A pledge form seen by CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, indicated that donors could receive “recognition” for their contributions, potentially including their names etched into the new structure.

So far, only one contributor has been publicly identified. Court documents show that YouTube will pay $22 million toward the project as part of a settlement with Trump over the suspension of his account after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

White House defends project as taxpayer-free
The White House has maintained that there is nothing inappropriate about the fundraising model. Officials told the BBC that donations will be processed by the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit that works with the National Park Service and raises funds for projects on the Mall and at the White House.

Trump, speaking at the donor event, reportedly thanked attendees for being “really, really generous,” joking that some asked whether a $25 million contribution would be sufficient. “I said: I will take it,” he remarked.

White House officials insist the ballroom will serve future administrations and that not a single dollar of taxpayer money will go toward it.

Martin Mongiello, a former White House executive chef and Camp David general manager, told the BBC that the new ballroom “will eventually pay for itself and save costs,” pointing out that temporary event tents often cost $1 million or more to set up.

Still, Painter cautioned that the project risks becoming a “pay-to-play scheme,” reminiscent of controversies faced by previous administrations, including President Bill Clinton’s alleged sale of Lincoln Bedroom stays in the 1990s.

While proving wrongdoing may be difficult, Painter warned that the new ballroom’s size could make it a powerful tool for political fundraising. “You can’t prove a quid pro quo,” he said, “but I think the Trump administration is pushing the envelope here.”