Trump Wines and Dines 130 Donors to Fund $250 Million White House Ballroom– Companies Included Amazon, Apple, Lockheed Martin, Meta, and T-Mobile
President Donald Trump, never one to resist spectacle, rolled out the red carpet for roughly 130 of his wealthiest backers Wednesday night, rewarding them with fine dining and the promise of a “phenomenal” new $250 million ballroom at the White House.
The glitzy event—complete with heirloom tomato panzanella, beef Wellington, and roasted pears with butterscotch ice cream—was as much a fundraiser as a flex. Guests, seated at gold-trimmed tables adorned with white flowers and candles, were treated to Trump’s sales pitch for the most expensive renovation of his presidency.
“All four sides will be bulletproof glass,” Trump boasted of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which he promised would be “large enough for an inauguration.” He added, “There’s nothing like the White House—it’s special, so we have to take care of it.”
Billionaires, Tech Giants, and Political Loyalists Fill the Room
The guest list read like a Forbes 400 reunion. Representatives from Amazon, Apple, Coinbase, Comcast, Lockheed Martin, Meta Platforms, and T-Mobile all had seats at the table, alongside oil billionaire Harold Hamm, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and crypto twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.
Political allies also made the cut, including former aides Chris LaCivita, Reince Priebus, and Jason Miller. The Adelson Family Foundation—founded by GOP megadonor Miriam Adelson and her late husband Sheldon—was also represented.
It’s not clear how much each donor pledged toward the ballroom project, but Trump hinted that fundraising was “going so well” he might have cash left over once the building was complete.
A Ballroom Without Boundaries—or Permits
The ballroom is slated for construction in the area currently occupied by the East Wing and would seat nearly 1,000 people—five times the capacity of the East Room. Still, the project hasn’t received the green light from the National Capital Planning Commission or the Commission of Fine Arts.
When asked about that, Trump waved off the issue entirely. “There are no zoning requirements for me,” he declared. “I can do whatever I want.”
White House staff secretary Will Scharf, also serving as head of the planning commission, backed Trump’s assertion—an arrangement critics have already called a blatant conflict of interest.
Trump’s “Lady Liberty” Arch Unveiled
In true showman fashion, Trump ended the evening with another reveal: a planned arch to rise at one end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge connecting Washington and Virginia. The monument, he said, would feature Lady Liberty atop it and come in “three sizes,” before admitting the largest version was his favorite.
“It’s going to be really beautiful,” Trump said, grinning. “The biggest one, of course.”
