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United States President Donald Trump has begun operation of a $300m ballroom connected the tract of what was the White House’s East Wing.
The construction, which began connected Monday, is the first large structural change to the analyzable since 1948. It involves tearing down the existing East Wing, which had housed the archetypal lady’s offices and was utilized for ceremonies.
The enactment is being funded via backstage donations from individuals, corporations and tech companies, including Google and Amazon, raising uncomfortable questions astir the level of entree this mightiness springiness donors to the astir almighty antheral successful the country.
A pledge signifier seen by CBS News indicated that donors whitethorn suffice for “recognition” of their contributions. Further details of this person not emerged, however.
How overmuch volition the caller ballroom cost?
The estimated outgo of gathering Trump’s ornate, 8,360sq-metre (90,0000sq-ft) ballroom, which helium says volition accommodate 999 people, has varied since plans were announced earlier this year.
In a connection made successful August, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated the outgo would beryllium astir $200m. However, this week, Trump raised that to $300m.
Construction began during a US authorities shutdown and, therefore, without the support of the National Capital Planning Commission, the national bureau liable for overseeing these operations, which is closed.
US President Donald Trump holds up a rendering of the planned ballroom successful the Oval Office of the White House connected October 22, 2025 [Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images]Who is backing the ballroom?
On Monday, Trump wrote connected Truth Social: “For much than 150 years, each President has dreamt astir having a Ballroom astatine the White House to accommodate radical for expansive parties, State Visits, etc. I americium honored to beryllium the archetypal President to yet get this much-needed task underway – with zero outgo to the American Taxpayer!”
He added that helium himself volition besides beryllium contributing to the bill: “The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by galore generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly.”
However, it seems that astatine slightest immoderate of the donations are being made arsenic portion of deals struck with Trump implicit different issues.
YouTube volition wage $22m towards the ballroom operation arsenic portion of a ineligible colony with Trump pertaining to a suit helium brought successful 2021 implicit the suspension of his relationship aft the Capitol riot that twelvemonth erstwhile his supporters stormed the spot of Congress connected January 6 successful a bid to forestall the transportation of the presidency to Joe Biden. YouTube and Google person the aforesaid genitor company, Alphabet.
The White House did not disclose however overmuch donors would contribute. Other salient donors – immoderate of which person had caller ineligible wrangles successful the US – were connected a database the White House provided to the media. They include:
Amazon
Last month, the Federal Trade Commission reached a colony with Amazon implicit allegations that the multinational tech institution founded by Jeff Bezos had enrolled millions of consumers to its streaming platform, Prime, without their consent and made it hard to cancel the subscriptions.
Under the settlement, Amazon volition wage $2.5bn successful penalties and refunds, hole its subscription process and acquisition compliance monitoring.
Apple
US-based multinational Apple – which produces the iPhone, iPad and MacBook – is headed by CEO Tim Cook.
On Tuesday, Apple asked a US appeals tribunal to overturn a national judge’s ruling successful April that prevents it from collecting commissions connected definite app purchases.
Coinbase
Coinbase is the largest US cryptocurrency exchange. It is led by CEO Brian Armstrong.
On September 30, a US national justice ruled that shareholders could prosecute a narrowed suit accusing the institution of hiding cardinal concern risks, including the hazard of a suit by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the hazard of losing assets successful bankruptcy.
Last month, the US Department of Justice won a large antitrust lawsuit against Google. A national tribunal ruled that the tech elephantine illegally monopolised online hunt and hunt advertising.
Lockheed Martin
Aerospace and defence shaper Lockheed Martin is headed by President and CEO Jim Taiclet.
In February, Lockheed Martin agreed to wage $29.74m to resoluteness national allegations that the institution had overcharged the US authorities by submitting inflated outgo information for contracts of F-35 combatant jets from 2013 to 2015.
Microsoft
The CEO of the tech radical is Satya Nadella, who earned a grounds $96.5m successful fiscal twelvemonth 2025.
Lutnick family
The Lutnick household is associated with businessman Howard Lutnick, who is besides Trump’s commerce secretary.
Lutnick is the CEO of the concern steadfast Cantor Fitzgerald. His institution Cantor Gaming has antecedently been accused of repeatedly violating authorities and national laws, Politico reported successful February.
Winklevoss twins
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss are listed arsenic abstracted donors.
The brothers are US investors and entrepreneurs, known for cofounding the cryptocurrency speech Gemini and Winklevoss Capital.
Last month, the SEC agreed to settee a suit implicit Gemini’s unregistered cryptocurrency-lending programme offered to retail investors.
Who other is connected the list?
Other companies, conglomerates and individuals connected the database include:
- Altria Group
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- Caterpillar
- Comcast
- J Pepe and Emilia Fanjul
- Hard Rock International
- HP
- Meta Platforms
- Micron Technology
- NextEra Energy
- Palantir Technologies
- Ripple
- Reynolds American
- T-Mobile
- Tether America
- Union Pacific
- Adelson Family Foundation
- Stefan E Brodie
- Betty Wold Johnson Foundation
- Charles and Marissa Cascarilla
- Edward and Shari Glazer
- Harold Hamm
- Benjamin Leon Jr
- Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Foundation
- Stephen A Schwarzman
- Konstantin Sokolov
- Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher
- Paolo Tiramani
Is the backstage backing of Trump’s ballroom ethical?
Constitutional lawyer Bruce Fein told Al Jazeera that the backstage backing violates the Anti-Deficiency Act.
The Anti-Deficiency Act is simply a US national instrumentality that decrees the enforcement subdivision of authorities cannot judge goods oregon services from backstage parties to behaviour authoritative authorities functions unless Congress has specifically signed disconnected connected the funds.
The enactment protects the “congressional powerfulness of the purse”, Fein said.
“Think of this analogy: Congress refuses to money a partition with Mexico. Could Trump spell up and physique the partition Congress refused to money with wealth provided by Elon Musk oregon different billionaire pals of Trump?”
Fein added: “Trump is wholly transactional. Funders of the ballroom volition beryllium rewarded with regulatory favours oregon appointments oregon fixed pardons for national crimes.”
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