Apple and Nvidia Each Commit $25 Million to Trump’s White House Ballroom
Leaked records identify $333 million in commitments to donate to the ballroom, including $25 million each from Apple and Nvidia, and at least $77 million from anonymous donors.
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Apple, Nvidia, and some of the Republican Party’s wealthiest donors committed tens of millions of dollars to President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, according to internal fundraising records obtained by The Washington Post.
The documents detail $333 million in private commitments, much of it from companies and wealthy individuals with business before the federal government.
At least $77 million came from donors seeking anonymity.
The Post said its reporting did not establish that donations secured favorable government treatment. Contributors who addressed the issue denied any connection.
Biggest Contributors
Apple, Nvidia, the Adelson family, and Dish Network co-founder Charles Ergen topped the list, each committing $25 million.
Trump himself does not appear, despite previously saying he was helping finance construction.
“It’s being paid for a hundred percent by me and some friends of mine,” he said last year.
The spreadsheet covers 67 donations of more than $10,000 recorded through late last month. Some contributions remain payable in installments, and the accounting excludes in-kind gifts.
Other major contributors included Amazon, Caterpillar, Comcast, Microsoft and T-Mobile. Cryptocurrency businesses and investors committed more than $18 million.
Anonymous Funding
Donations pass through the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall before reaching the government and a White House account controlled by the president.
An agreement requires the Trust to protect donor anonymity within legal limits and obtain written White House approval before publicly identifying contributors.
The White House previously named 37 donors without disclosing amounts. The Post identified 57 contributors who committed at least $100,000.
Independent experts warned that the arrangement could enable influence buying or pressure companies to contribute.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle rejected conflict-of-interest allegations and said the administration would “relentlessly pursue those responsible for this cowardly leak while continuing to protect all those who give.”
Contracts and Approvals
Companies holding federal contracts during Trump’s second term, or their executives, accounted for about half the commitments, The Post found.
Nvidia committed $25 million nearly three months after reaching an agreement with Trump to sell advanced chips to China. The company said its contribution was independent of business interests.
Salesforce and chief executive Marc Benioff committed $3 million combined. Between the company’s two commitments, the Army awarded Salesforce a contract potentially worth $5.6 billion.
The Pentagon said political connections played no role in funding decisions.
A Rocket subsidiary committed $10 million three weeks after regulators approved its acquisition of mortgage company Mr. Cooper. Rocket denied any connection.
Ergen’s commitments followed the closure of an FCC investigation into EchoStar and preceded federal approval of a license sale to AT&T. Ergen and EchoStar declined to comment.
Pledge Before Pardon
Isabela Herrera committed $2.5 million in September 2025, a month after her father, banker Julio Herrera Velutini, secured a plea agreement reducing bribery charges to a misdemeanor.
Records show she paid an initial $835,000 installment that October. Trump pardoned her father in January.
Neither responded to The Post. The White House has described his prosecution as politically motivated.
Other contributors included Small Business Administration chief Kelly Loeffler and her husband, who promised $5 million, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s son Brandon, who donated stock worth more than $2.5 million.
Costs and Discrepancies
The fundraising total remains below Trump’s $400 million target. The broader East Wing redevelopment, including offices and an underground military facility, was estimated in March to cost $600 million.
Records show taxpayer funds have covered some construction expenses.
AT&T disputed a $5 million pledge listed in the spreadsheet, saying it had no plans to contribute.
Three donors publicly named by the White House, Hard Rock International, Tether America, and executive Paolo Tiramani, were absent from the records.
Ahmet Koçak
Ahmet Koçak is a news editor at Clash Report based in Istanbul. He previously served as Deputy Managing Editor at Türkiye Today, helping launch the digital news platform in 2023, and spent three years as Senior Editor at Daily Sabah. His work focuses on breaking news, geopolitics, international affairs, and digital journalism.
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