Trump’s New Ballroom Costs $300 Million: See Who’s Footing the Bill
Written by
Vance Cariaga
Edited by
Jenna Klaverweiden
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President Donald Trump’s decision to raze the White House’s East Wing and turn it into a $300 million ballroom has raised plenty of eyebrows, but he insists it won’t cost taxpayers any money.
While that might be true during the construction phase, some experts say taxpayer money could be needed to maintain, operate and finance the 90,000-square-foot structure. That’s the case with any government owned building, but costs could be higher for the kind of lavish facility being built at the White House.
For now, Trump and his team say the ballroom will be “entirely privately funded,” Roll Call reported. So who’s providing those funds? Chances are, you’ll recognize plenty of names on the list of private donors.
Also see seven ways to keep more of your money in Trump’s economy.
Who’s Footing the Bill?
Companies that have signed on to help pay for the construction of the Trump ballroom include some of the most powerful corporate brands in the world. Here’s a list of corporate donors, according to CNN:
- Altria Group Inc.
- Amazon
- Apple
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- Caterpillar Inc.
- Coinbase
- Comcast Corporation
- Hard Rock International
- HP Inc.
- Lockheed Martin
- Meta Platforms
- Micron Technology
- Microsoft
- NextEra Energy Inc.
- Palantir Technologies Inc.
- Ripple
- Reynolds American
- T-Mobile
- Tether America
- Union Pacific Railroad.
The donor lists also includes individuals, such as billionaire businessman Harold Hamm and non-corporate organizations like the Adelson Family Foundation.
Rising Costs
The fact that the project is being built through private dollars will probably come as a relief to taxpayers, who might otherwise worry about rising development and construction costs.
As CNN noted, several sources have reported that the new ballroom will be bigger than people originally thought, and estimated costs have already risen from $200 million to $300 million.
Even with private donors footing the bill, most Americans oppose the project, according to a recent YouGov America poll of 2,038 U.S. adults.
More than half (54%) of respondents said they either “strongly” or “somewhat” disapprove of the decision to demolish part of the East Wing as part of the renovations. About one-quarter (28%) approve, while a 18% said they’re unsure.
What’s the Cost to Taxpayers?
Even though the Trump administration said construction and development costs will be paid for through private donations, that doesn’t necessarily mean taxpayers are off the hook.
Public funds could eventually be needed for future maintenance and other costs, according to Edward Lengel, a former chief historian for the White House Historical Association.
“What’s been obvious from the beginning is the whole idea that this is a gift to the American people is really a misdirection,” Lengel told Roll Call. “The reason it’s being privately funded is so Congress couldn’t block the president from doing this.”
He also expects costs to go higher. “The ballroom likely is going to be larger and more ostentatious than we’re being led to believe,” Lengel said. “There are almost certainly going to be approaches to Congress for funding after this is done. But the current administration clearly believes that won’t occur on their watch. That it’ll be up to the next president — Republican or Democrat.”
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