WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says his $300 million White Home ballroom will probably be paid for “100% by me and a few buddies of mine.”
The White Home launched an inventory of 37 donors, together with crypto billionaires, charitable organizations, sports activities workforce homeowners, highly effective financiers, tech and tobacco giants, media corporations, longtime supporters of Republican causes and a number of other of the president’s neighbors in Palm Seashore, Florida.
It is incomplete. Amongst others, the checklist does not embody Service Group, which supplied to donate an HVAC system for the ballroom, and synthetic intelligence chipmaker Nvidia, whose CEO, Jensen Huang, publicly mentioned its donation.
The White Home hasn’t mentioned how a lot every donor is giving, and virtually none was prepared to reveal that. Only a few commented on their contributions when contacted by The Related Press.
A senior White Home official mentioned the checklist has grown because it was first launched in October, however some corporations do not wish to be publicly named till required to take action by monetary disclosure laws. No international people or entities had been among the many donors, in keeping with the official who spoke on situation of anonymity to debate particulars that have not been made public.
This is a have a look at the divulged donors:
Amazon Background: Trump was as soon as extremely vital of firm founder Jeff Bezos, who additionally owns The Washington Put up, however has been a lot much less so currently. Amazon donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, an occasion attended by Bezos. Its video streaming service paid $40 million to license a documentary about first lady Melania Trump. Its cloud-based computing operation, Amazon Net Companies, is a serious authorities contractor.
Apple Background: After an up-and-down relationship throughout Trump’s first time period, CEO Tim Cook has sought to enhance his standing with the president this time. Earlier than returning to the White Home, Trump hosted Cook dinner at his Palm Seashore property, Mar-a-Lago, and mentioned he had spoken with Cook dinner in regards to the firm’s long-running tax battles with the European Union. Cook dinner additionally donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. Within the spring, Trump threatened the computing giant with tariffs after Apple introduced plans to construct manufacturing services in India. In August, Cook dinner introduced the president with a personalized glass plaque with a gold base because the CEO introduced plans to deliver Apple’s complete funding dedication in U.S. manufacturing over 4 years to $600 billion.
Google Background: Throughout his first time period, Trump’s administration sued Google for antitrust violations. Whereas a candidate final yr, Trump prompt he may search to interrupt up the search engine behemoth. As soon as Trump received the election, Google donated $1 million to his inauguration, and its CEO, Sundar Pichai, joined different main tech executives in attending the ceremony. Google’s subsidiary, YouTube, agreed in September to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit with Trump after it suspended his account following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. In response to courtroom filings, $22 million of that went to the Belief for the Nationwide Mall, which can assist pay for ballroom building.
HP Background: An unique Silicon Valley stalwart, the corporate donated to Trump’s inaugural fund. HP ‘s CEO, Enrique Lores, participated in a White Home roundtable occasion in September. Lores additionally beforehand met with President Joe Biden on the White Home on a number of events as top CEOs endorsed that administration’s financial plans.
Meta Background: Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg had been vital of Trump going again to 2016, and Facebook suspended Trump for years after the Jan. 6 riot. This time round, Meta contributed $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, and Zuckerberg attended.
Micron Expertise Background: The producer of superior reminiscence laptop chips announced an April 2024 settlement with the Biden administration to supply $6.1 billion in authorities help for Micron to make chips domestically. Then, in June, Micron pledged $200 billion for U.S. reminiscence chip manufacturing enlargement beneath Trump. However at least $120 billion of that involved holdovers first announced during Biden’s administration.
Microsoft Background: The corporate donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, twice what it spent for Biden’s or for Trump’s first inauguration. CEO Satya Nadella has additionally met with Trump quite a few instances, as Microsoft has supported the administration’s rest of laws on synthetic intelligence. He met beforehand with Biden, too. Trump has known as for Microsoft’s president of worldwide affairs, Lisa Monaco, to be fired as a result of she was a deputy lawyer basic beneath Biden when the Justice Division led a number of investigations towards Trump.
Palantir Applied sciences Background: Co-founded by billionaire libertarian Peter Thiel, the agency concentrates on synthetic intelligence and machine studying. It has seen earnings soar due to profitable protection and different federal contracts.
Coinbase Background: The main cryptocurrency trade was based by Brian Armstrong, a high donor to a political motion committee that helped Trump and other pro-crypto candidates in 2024. Armstrong attended the first crypto summit at the White House in March. Coinbase additionally employed Trump’s co-campaign supervisor, Chris LaCivita, to its Global Advisory Council.
Ripple Background: In March, the Securities and Trade Fee dropped a lawsuit filed throughout Trump’s first time period, which accused the corporate of violating securities legal guidelines by promoting XRP crypto cash and not using a securities registration. In his second time period, Trump has eased laws on digital belongings, repealing an SEC accounting rule and a earlier presidential government order mandating extra federal examine and proposed adjustments to crypto laws.
Tether Background: A cryptocurrency firm and main stablecoin issuer, Tether paid fines for misleading investors. CEO Paolo Ardoino has been to Trump’s White Home, and, in April, the corporate employed former Trump administration crypto coverage official Bo Hines to guide its home enlargement efforts.
Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss Background: Every Winklevoss twin is listed as a separate donor. Finest often called Zuckerberg’s chief antagonists in “The Social Community,” the brothers founded the Gemini cryptocurrency trade. Biden’s SEC sued Gemini for selling unregistered securities, however the case has been paused beneath Trump.
Caterpillar Background: The equipment maker ‘s PAC has donated to candidates from each events, however given extra to Republicans. It has additionally mentioned publicly that Trump’s tariffs, a few of which the administration has now eased, might increase its costs and harm earnings.
NextEra Power Background: NextEra is the world’s largest electrical utility holding firm. Trump says he’ll work to make sure tech giants can safe their very own sources of electrical energy to energy information facilities, particularly as they increase energy-hogging synthetic intelligence operations. Google lately entered into an agreement to purchase energy from a shuttered nuclear energy plant in Iowa owned by NextEra, which the corporate plans to deliver again on-line in 2029.
Paolo Tiramani Background: An American industrial designer who has donated to Trump’s political campaigns. Tiramani, together with his son, runs BOXABL, a agency specializing in modular, prefabricated houses.
Union Pacific Background: Trump has endorsed the corporate’s proposed $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern, which might be the largest-ever rail merger. It additionally will probably be as much as the president to nominate two extra Republican members of the Floor Transportation Board, who will in the end resolve whether or not to approve the merger. In August, Trump fired one of many two Democratic members of the board.
Adelson Household Basis Background: Based to strengthen the state of Israel and the Jewish folks, the muse was created by Miriam Adelson, the majority owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, shut Trump ally and longtime GOP megadonor. She’s additionally the widow of Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire founder and proprietor of Las Vegas Sands.
Betty Wold Johnson Basis Background: Primarily based in Palm Seashore, the muse helps well being, arts and tradition initiatives, in addition to environmental and academic applications. It is named in honor of the mom of New York Jets proprietor Woody Johnson, who served as Trump’s ambassador to the UK throughout his first time period.
Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Basis Background: The nonprofit based mostly in Lake Value Seashore, close to Palm Seashore, focuses on selling well being care, social justice, the humanities and neighborhood initiatives. Isaac is an Israeli American businessman and financier and former chair of Marvel Leisure. He and his spouse have donated to Trump’s presidential campaigns and affiliated PACs.
Benjamin Leon Jr. Background: The Cuban American founding father of Miami-based Leon Medical Facilities is Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Spain.
Kelly Loeffler and Jeffrey Sprecher Background: A former Republican senator from Georgia, Loeffler heads Trump’s Small Enterprise Administration. Her husband is CEO of the power market Intercontinental Trade Inc. and chairs the New York Inventory Trade. The couple faced scrutiny in 2020 for dumping substantial parts of their portfolio and purchasing new stocks, together with in corporations making protecting tools, after Congress obtained briefings on the severity of the approaching coronavirus pandemic.
Lutnick Household Background: Howard Lutnick is Trump’s commerce secretary. A crypto fanatic, he as soon as headed the brokerage and funding financial institution Cantor Fitzgerald.
Comcast Background: The mass media and telecom conglomerate has typically been criticized by Trump, together with in April, when the president posted that Comcast was a “shame to the integrity of broadcasting.” The corporate owns NBC and is spinning off MSNBC. It could possibly be excited about buying Warner Bros. Discover, and that would depart Comcast on the lookout for authorities approval.
Arduous Rock Worldwide Background: A Florida-based gaming and tourism concern owned by the Seminole Tribe, the corporate operates quite a few casinos, together with the former Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic Metropolis, New Jersey. Trump has for many years criticized federal exemptions permitting tribes to function casinos.
T-Cell Background: The wi-fi provider is not directly linked to Trump Cell, which the president’s household controls and affords gold telephones and cell service in a licensing deal. Trump Cell makes use of Liberty Cell Wi-fi, a small, Florida-based community that T-Cell says runs its operations on T-Cell’s community. T-Cell says that’s unrelated to its choice to donate to Trump’s ballroom, which it says is supposed to “restore and enrich the historic landmarks that outline our nation’s capital.”
Altria Group Background: The tobacco giant controls Philip Morris USA, maker of Marlboro. It has pressed for federal crackdowns on counterfeit and unlawful vaping merchandise. The corporate donated $50,000 to Trump’s inauguration.
Reynolds American Background: With manufacturers together with Fortunate Strike and Camel, the company has been lively in lobbying to steer the Trump administration away from a Biden-proposed ban on menthol cigarettes.
Booz Allen Hamilton Background: A serious protection and nationwide safety expertise agency with in depth authorities contracts, it paid fines to settle lawsuits with the Justice Division beneath Biden. Booz Allen Hamilton agreed to pay greater than $377 million in 2023 for improperly billing prices to its authorities contracts. In January, mentioned it’d pay nearly $16 million to settle allegations that it submitted fraudulent claims in reference to authorities contracts.
Lockheed Martin Company Background: The large defense contractor has enormous authorities contracts. It mentioned in an announcement that it “is grateful for the chance to assist deliver the President’s imaginative and prescient to actuality and make this addition to the Individuals’s Home.”
Stefan E. Brodie Background: A biotech entrepreneur and co-founder of the chemical manufacturing firm Purolite, Brodie and his household donated to Trump’s 2024 presidential marketing campaign and affiliated committees. Brodie and his brother, Donald, had been convicted in 2002 of circumventing U.S. sanctions on Cuba.
Charles and Marissa Cascarilla Background: Charles Cascarilla is co‑founding father of the blockchain agency Paxos. He and his spouse are philanthropists who’ve advocated for monetary expertise sector deregulation.
J. Pepe and Emilia Fanjul Background: Longtime Republican donors and Palm Seashore residents, the couple controls U.S. sugar refining pursuits that features the Domino model.
Edward and Shari Glazer Background: Family members that owns the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has a controlling stake within the Manchester United soccer membership, the couple donated to Trump’s marketing campaign. Edward is the founder and CEO of US Property Belief, which operates purchasing facilities, and the automobile dealership firm US Auto Belief.
Howard Hamm Background: The billionaire oil tycoon and pioneer of hydraulic fracturing heads the oil producer Continental Assets. He is praised the Trump administration for aggressively transferring to buy oil to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve stockpile.
Stephen A. Schwarzman Background: A Palm Seashore resident and chair and CEO of the Blackstone Group, a worldwide personal fairness agency he helped set up in 1985. Schwarzman has donated to Trump and his PACs beforehand and led his first-term President’s Strategic and Coverage Discussion board.
Konstantin Sokolov Background: Born in Russia, he immigrated to the U.S. and now heads the Chicago-based personal fairness agency IJS Investments. Sokolov has donated to many instructional and charitable causes up to now, and to Trump’s political campaigns.
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Related Press author Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
