From Apple to Meta: White House lists donors for Trump's $300 mn ballroom

The White House released the list of donors funding Trump's 90,000-sq-foot ballroom, costing $300 million, backed by tech giants, billionaires and private contributors

The White House has revealed the list of donors funding President Donald Trump’s new multi-million-dollar ballroom in Washington, DC, which has been under construction since September 2025. Big names like Cameron Winklevoss, Harold Hamm and major tech companies such as Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Meta are among the contributors, CNN reported.

 

President Trump had previously assured that the ballroom project would cost “nothing to taxpayers”. He stressed that it would be fully funded by private donors and himself.

 

The donor list includes cryptocurrency exchange Gemini co-founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and his family, and the Adelson family.

 

While the administration initially estimated the ballroom at $200 million, Trump recently said the cost had risen to “about $300 million”. He emphasised that the expense “will be paid entirely by me and some friends”, referring to donors.

 

The 90,000-sq-foot ballroom, designed to host major events, was announced in July 2025. McCrery Architects, known for their classical designs, have been tasked with its construction.

 

Full list of White House ballroom donors

 

• Altria Group, Inc.

• Amazon

• Apple

• Booz Allen Hamilton

• Caterpillar, Inc.

• Coinbase

• Comcast Corporation

• Pepe and Emilia Fanjul

• Hard Rock International

• Google

• HP Inc.

• Lockheed Martin

• Meta Platforms

• Micron Technology

• Microsoft

• NextEra Energy, Inc.

• Palantir Technologies Inc.

• Ripple

• Reynolds American

• T-Mobile

• Tether America

• Union Pacific Railroad

• Adelson Family Foundation

• Stefan E. Brodie

• Betty Wold Johnson Foundation

• Charles and Marissa Cascarilla

• Edward and Shari Glazer

• Harold Hamm

• Benjamin Leon Jr.

• The Lutnick Family

• The Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Foundation

• Stephen A Schwarzman

• Konstantin Sokolov

• Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher

• Paolo Tiramani

• Cameron Winklevoss

• Tyler Winklevoss

 

Donors may receive recognition

 

A pledge form obtained by CBS News indicated that donors could get “recognition” for their contributions, which may include having their names etched into the structure once final plans are complete.

 

Originally designed to seat 650 people, Trump recently said the ballroom’s capacity will now accommodate 999 guests.

 

Court documents also revealed that as part of a settlement over the suspension of Trump’s YouTube account following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, YouTube will contribute $22 million to the project, BBC reported.   

 

Trump’s long standing plan for a grand ballroom

 

Trump’s fascination with building an impressive formal event space at the White House stretches back over a decade. He first mentioned the idea during Barack Obama’s presidency and even offered to fund it himself.

 

David Axelrod, a senior adviser to Obama, recalled to NPR how Trump had approached him with the idea. "You know, you have these state dinners and you have them in these little tents," Axelrod said Trump told him. “And he said, ‘You know, I build ballrooms. I build the greatest ballrooms and you can come down to Florida to see them'."

 

Trump brought up the ballroom issue again during his 2016 campaign in Ohio, arguing that “having a tent is not that good".

 

Why are tents used at the White House?

 

The White House uses tents because the existing East Room can hold only about 200 guests, which is too small for large state dinners, receptions or press events. Temporary tents on the South Lawn or in the Rose Garden provide extra space, weather protection and flexibility for hosting hundreds of attendees.

 

According to NPR, Obama hosted several state dinners in tents, and former President Joe Biden held four of his six state dinners outdoors in tents.