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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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."

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."

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.

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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