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Leaked Documents Reveal Who Is Funding Trump's $330 Million Ballroom

Lila Prescott's profile
Original Story by Your Life Buzz
October 16, 2026
Leaked Documents Reveal Who Is Funding Trump's $330 Million Ballroom

Leaked internal documents have revealed many of the companies and wealthy donors paying for President Donald Trump's new White House ballroom, including Apple, Nvidia and the Adelson family, which each committed $25 million.

The records, obtained by The Washington Post and reported Thursday, include an internal spreadsheet tracking 67 donations of more than $10,000 as of late September. Together, they show about $333 million in private money for the project.

The Biggest Donors

Four donors account for roughly 30% of the total, with $25 million each: Apple, Nvidia, the Adelson Family Foundation and the household and donor-advised fund of Dish Network founder Charles Ergen.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 22: Apple's CEO Tim Cook listens to British Prime Minister Andy Burnham (not pictured) speak during a business and investor roundtable, before the 81st United Nations General Assembly on September 22, 2026 in New York City. This is Andy Burnham's first visit to the United Nations as UK Prime Minister, and first face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump. (Photo by Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Apple's CEO Tim Cook. | Credit: Getty Images

Apple's involvement was already public, but the size of its gift had not been disclosed before, 9to5Mac reported. Google gave $22 million through a trust tied to settlement money from Trump's lawsuit against YouTube.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 08: CEO of Microsoft Satya Nadella attends the Golden Age of American Innovation Summit at the Institute of Peace on October 08, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump is expected to award some of the nation's highest scientific honors to technology leaders including Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Jensen Huang, Lisa Su, Michael Dell, and Satya Nadella. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
CEO of Microsoft Satya Nadella. | Credit: Getty Images

Microsoft and Palantir each gave $10 million, as did a subsidiary of mortgage lender Rocket. Amazon and Meta each gave $5 million. Cisco, Coinbase, Ripple, ServiceNow and T-Mobile were also listed at $5 million apiece.

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 18: Investors Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss attend the signing ceremony for the “GENIUS Act” in the East Room of the White House July 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.  The act, formally known as the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act, was passed this week by the U.S. Congress. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Investors Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss. | Credit: Getty Images

Crypto companies and investors promised more than $18 million. That includes bitcoin worth about $5 million from Gemini founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.

Many Asked to Stay Anonymous

At least $77 million came from donors who asked not to be named. Nvidia and Ergen were among them, according to the documents.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 12: Construction continues on the ballroom addition to the White House on October 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. Following a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the construction of the new 90,000-square-foot ballroom and event space on the site of the demolished East Wing was allowed to continue. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Construction continues on the ballroom addition to the White House on October 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. | Credit: Getty Images

The money flows through the Trust for the National Mall, a Washington nonprofit. Its agreement with the government requires it to keep donors anonymous unless the White House approves disclosure. "In philanthropy, it is not uncommon for donors to request their gifts remain anonymous," the Trust said.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had confirmed a donation last October without giving an amount. "I'm delighted to be part of it," he told reporters at the time, according to Reuters. Nvidia became a top contributor about three months after striking a deal with Trump over AI chip sales.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 07: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks at a Windows event on October 07, 2026 at Dogpatch studios in San Francisco, California. Microsoft focused its message on how it is making Windows the most secure platform for AI agents. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. | Credit: Getty Images

"As an American company, our support for the United States is paramount, and independent of any business interests," Nvidia spokesman John Rizzo said.

Not every name on the list checked out. AT&T was listed as pledging $5 million, but a company spokesperson said it had "no plans to contribute" and suggested the entry was an error.

Donors With Business Before the Government

Roughly half of the money came from companies or executives that held federal contracts during Trump's second term. The Post noted its reporting does not establish that any donation was linked to favorable government action.

396587 05: Charles Ergen, Ceo of EchoStar attends a joint press conference October 29, 2001 in New York to announce that General Motors Corporation has agreed to sell it's Hughes Electronics subsidiary and it's Direct TV satellite network to EchoStar Communication for $25.8 billion. (Photo by Shaul Schwarz/Getty Images)
Charles Ergen, Ceo of EchoStar. | Credit: Getty Images

Still, several timelines drew attention. The Federal Communications Commission dropped an investigation into Ergen's company EchoStar in September 2025, months before his donations. A Rocket subsidiary gave $10 million three weeks after regulators approved Rocket's purchase of Mr. Cooper. A Rocket spokesperson said the approval and the donation were not connected.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 12: Construction continues on the ballroom addition to the White House on October 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. Following a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the construction of the new 90,000-square-foot ballroom and event space on the site of the demolished East Wing was allowed to continue. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The Supreme Court ruled that the construction of the new 90,000-square-foot ballroom and event space on the site of the demolished East Wing was allowed to continue. | Credit: Getty Images

Another donor, Isabela Herrera, committed $2.5 million. Her father, banker Julio Herrera Velutini, was pardoned by Trump in January after being indicted on bribery charges in 2022. The watchdog Campaign Legal Center has filed a complaint alleging she was a "straw donor" for her father.

The advocacy group Public Citizen, which separately analyzed the Trust's tax filing, said five corporate megadonors received a combined $241 billion in government contracts over the past five years.

White House Vows to Find the Leaker

White House spokesman Davis Ingle declined to discuss individual gifts, describing the donors as "a wide array of great American companies and generous individuals." He said the administration would "relentlessly pursue those responsible for this cowardly leak."

The White House in Washington D.C.
Credit: Adobe Stock

Democratic lawmakers have called the fundraising secretive and potentially transactional, and their requests for donor details have been rebuffed.

A Project That Keeps Growing

The ballroom replaces the East Wing, which was torn down last year. Days after demolition began, Trump said the project was "being paid for a hundred percent by me and some friends of mine."

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 31: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on July 31, 2025 in Washington, DC. Leavitt holds a rendering of a ballroom building that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to build on the White House grounds as she spoke to reporters about the day's news topics. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Karoline Leavitt holds a rendering of a ballroom building that U.S. President Donald Trump is building on the White House grounds. | Credit: Getty Images

The costs have climbed since then. The full East Wing project, which includes the ballroom, office space and an underground military facility, was projected in March to cost $600 million.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 3: White House ballroom construction on the South Lawn of the White House on October 3, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is traveling to Ohio to campaign for midterm candidates with 31 days to go until the midterm Election Day. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)
White House ballroom construction on the South Lawn of the White House on October 3, 2026. | Credit: Getty Images

The White House has used taxpayer money for some construction costs, and the $333 million raised so far falls short of the $400 million Trump has said he plans to collect.


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