White House ballroom megadonors revealed
The gist
The Washington Post published an internal list showing $333 million in private donations to Trump's White House ballroom.
The donations bypass normal campaign-finance disclosure, raising influence-buying concerns among experts.
How it unfolded
- Oct 2025The White House publicly identified 37 people, companies and foundations as ballroom donors without revealing individual gift amounts, and Trump greeted attendees at a White House dinner highlighting the project.
- Oct 12, 2026A public filing by the Trust for the National Mall showed ten megadonors accounted for more than half of the $300 million Trump raised for the ballroom and Washington legacy projects; donor identities were not included.
- Oct 15, 2026The Washington Post published an obtained internal spreadsheet listing the source, date and amount of all 67 donations above $10,000 recorded as of late the previous month, totalling $333 million.