Corporations pledge nearly $200M for White House ballroom; Google, Lockheed among donors as etched-name recognition considered
Nearly $200 million in corporate and individual pledges — from companies listed on a donor form including Google, R.J. Reynolds, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin (reported to have pledged more than $10 million), Palantir and NextEra Energy and individuals such as Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman — have been raised for a new White House ballroom, part of a project now projected to cost up to $250 million; fundraising is led by Meredith O’Rourke and the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall, which allows donors federal tax deductions, and donor recognition options under consideration include etching names in the ballroom’s stone or listing them online (anonymity may be requested). Construction of the roughly 90,000‑square‑foot annex has begun on the South Lawn, renderings from McCrery Architects show a 650‑seat ballroom, and the White House says donors will be disclosed, no foreign contributions will be accepted, and former President Trump has said he is paying for the project himself.
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
"An opinion piece criticizing the ethics and optics of large corporate pledges to fund a new White House ballroom, arguing that firms must 'live their values' by aligning public commitments with where they spend money and urging greater transparency and public pressure to hold donors accountable."
📰 Sources (3)
- CBS obtained and published architectural renderings showing additional design details of the ballroom
- Article names McCrery Architects PLLC as the architectural firm behind the project
- Reports the ballroom will have a seated capacity for 650 people
- States construction work has begun on the South Lawn earlier this month
- Nearly $200 million has been pledged for the White House ballroom; projected cost now up to $250 million, per Trump and a White House official.
- Named corporate donors include Google, R.J. Reynolds, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, Palantir, and NextEra Energy; Lockheed is said to have pledged over $10 million and provided an on‑record statement.
- Individual donors include Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman.
- Fundraising is being led by Meredith O’Rourke alongside the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall, enabling federal tax write‑offs.
- CBS reviewed a pledge form titled “The Donald J. Trump Ballroom at the White House,” offering lump‑sum or three‑installment payments by 2027 and promising donor recognition tied to the ballroom.
- Donor recognition options under consideration include etching names in the ballroom’s brick or stone or listing names on a website; anonymity may be requested.
- Trump said donors will be disclosed and that no foreign contributions will be accepted; he also said he is paying for the project himself.
- Construction of the ~90,000‑square‑foot annex is underway on the South Lawn.
- Trump confirms a planned White House ballroom project
- He says the ballroom will be 'a little bigger' than first planned