{"id":2123,"date":"2025-10-24T11:54:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T11:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/?p=2123"},"modified":"2025-10-24T11:54:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T11:54:22","slug":"from-crypto-billionaires-to-cabinet-members-what-to-know-about-the-donors-paying-for-trumps-ballroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/?p=2123","title":{"rendered":"From crypto billionaires to cabinet members: What to know about the donors paying for Trump\u2019s ballroom"},"content":{"rendered":"
As demolition crews this week bulldozed the White House\u2019s East Wing to replace it with a massive ballroom, President Donald Trump has\u00a0emphasized\u00a0that the dramatic changes will come at \u201czero cost to the American Taxpayer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, the donors picking up the tab include some of the country\u2019s biggest corporations, including many who have business before the federal government, along with many longtime supporters of the president, according to a CNN review of a donor list released by the Trump administration.<\/p>\n
Trump has been recruiting donors for the construction project for months, showing off renderings and scale models to Oval Office visitors. Now estimated to cost $300 million, the work is being funded by private, tax-deductible donations routed through the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall.<\/p>\n
The president has said he will personally pay for some of the project, but the White House hasn\u2019t specified how much. At least one donation of $22 million from Google was made on \u201cbehalf\u201d of Trump as part of a legal settlement over the president being banned from YouTube in 2021, court documents show.<\/p>\n
The ballroom donors were feted at a White House\u00a0dinner\u00a0last week. Now that the demolition has begun, here\u2019s who\u2019s paying for the overhaul of the country\u2019s most famous residence.<\/p>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>President Trump presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Miriam Adelson during a White House ceremony in 2018. – Alex Wong\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Adelson Family Foundation<\/h3>\n
Miriam Adelson, a billionaire who made her fortune in casinos alongside her late husband Sheldon and has been a major Trump donor, runs this philanthropic foundation. Trump\u00a0awarded\u00a0Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018.<\/p>\n
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Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>Miriam and Sheldon Adelson have been some of Trump\u2019s top political donors since his first presidential bid, giving more than $30 million to pro-Trump PACs and his campaigns over the years. Miriam also gave $1 million to the president\u2019s 2025 inaugural committee.<\/li>\n
Key issues:\u00a0<\/strong>The foundation\u2019s\u00a0stated aim\u00a0is to \u201cstrengthen the state of Israel and the Jewish people,\u201d and Trump has\u00a0publicly praised\u00a0Adelson and her support of Israel. Adelson, who is the majority owner of the NBA\u2019s Dallas Mavericks, has also donated to\u00a0lawmakers and PACs\u00a0that support pro-gambling and sports betting legislation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Altria Group<\/h3>\n
Previously known as Phillip Morris, tobacco giant Altria Group is the seller of Virginia Slims, Marlboro and Parliament cigarettes in the United States.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Tobacco<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>A subsidiary, Altria Client Services, LLC, gave $1 million to a Trump-associated PAC in May 2025, $1 million to the president\u2019s 2025 inaugural committee and $500,000 to his 2017 inaugural committee.<\/li>\n
Key issues:\u00a0<\/strong>Altria has fought tighter industry regulations and, along with other tobacco companies, pushed legislation that would limit FDA oversight of e-cigarettes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Jeff Bezos arrives for Trump’s inauguration in January. – Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/Pool\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Amazon<\/h3>\n
Amazon billionaire founder Jeff Bezos\u00a0told the world he was \u201coptimistic\u201d\u00a0about a second Trump presidency late last year, saying he appreciated his \u201cenergy\u201d around reducing regulations. The president called out Amazon publicly earlier this year when he learned that the e-commerce retailer was\u00a0considering displaying tariff costs for consumers, which the company said it would not do.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Tech, e-commerce<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>Amazon gave $1 million to Trump\u2019s 2025 inaugural committee and made an in-kind donation of almost $900,000 for digital services and advertising supporting the event. The company also gave about $58,000 to his 2017 inaugural committee.<\/li>\n
Government business:\u00a0<\/strong>Amazon Web Services \u2013 the company\u2019s cloud computing platform \u2013 earned more than $500 million from federal contracts over the last three years,\u00a0government data\u00a0shows.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Apple CEO Tim Cook shakes hands with Trump in the Oval Office in August. – Win McNamee\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Apple<\/h3>\n
Apple CEO Tim Cook served on Trump\u2019s American Workforce Policy Advisory Board during his first term. He attended the president\u2019s 2025 inauguration along with other tech leaders, and this summer\u00a0presented Trump with a customized 24-karat gold-and-glass statuette in the Oval Office while announcing plans to invest $100 billion in US jobs and suppliers.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Tech<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>Cook personally gave $1 million to Trump\u2019s 2025 inaugural committee.<\/li>\n
Key issues:\u00a0<\/strong>The company secured a\u00a0major win this summer,\u00a0when smartphones were exempted from heavy tariffs levied on goods imported from India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Donald Trump and Woody Johnson attend the NY Jets kickoff luncheon party in New York in 2008. – Al Pereira\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Betty Wold Johnson Foundation<\/h3>\n
The late Betty Wold Johnson was a philanthropist and mother of the two owners of the New York Jets, who are the foundation\u2019s co-presidents. One of her sons, Woody Johnson, served as ambassador to the United Kingdom during Trump\u2019s first term.<\/p>\n
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Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>Woody Johnson has given more than $4.7 million to Trump\u2019s campaigns and supporting PACs since 2016.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Horacio Rozanski, CEO of Booz Allen Hamilton, speaks during at an event in Washington, DC, in April. – Kayla Bartkowski\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Booz Allen Hamilton<\/h3>\n
A major federal contractor, Booz Allen Hamilton primarily provides technology and consulting services and takes in billions in annual revenue.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Defense and national security consulting<\/li>\n
Government business:\u00a0<\/strong>About $6 billion paid by federal agencies over the last year,\u00a0government data\u00a0shows.<\/li>\n
Key issues:<\/strong>\u00a0In January, Booz Allen Hamilton agreed to pay the US government nearly $16 million to settle a case alleging that a subsidiary submitted fraudulent claims related to a Defense Department contract.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Stefan E. Brodie<\/h3>\n
Stefan Brodie co-founded the chemical manufacturing company Purolite. Brodie, who was\u00a0found guilty\u00a0of violating American sanctions on Cuba in the early 2000s, was\u00a0denied\u00a0pardon by former President Joe Biden in 2023. It\u2019s unclear if he has petitioned Trump for a pardon.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Biotech<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>Brodie and several other family members each gave more than $840,000 to Trump\u2019s joint fundraising committee in 2024.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Charles Cascarilla, CEO and co-founder of Paxos, testifies before the House Financial Services Committee in March. – Win McNamee\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Charles and Marissa Cascarilla<\/h3>\n
Charles Cascarilla is the co-founder and CEO of blockchain firm Paxos Trust Company, which provides digital asset infrastructure to financial institutions.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Cryptocurrency<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>Charles Cascarilla gave just under $1 million to Trump\u2019s 2025 inaugural committee.<\/li>\n
Key issues:\u00a0<\/strong>Cascarilla\u00a0has advocated\u00a0for \u201ca more welcoming and clearly defined regulatory environment for digital assets.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Caterpillar<\/h3>\n
The Texas-based Caterpillar manufactures construction and mining equipment and supplies it to the US military and other government agencies. During Trump\u2019s first term, the Department of Justice\u00a0dropped a criminal investigation\u00a0into Caterpillar for allegedly dodging taxes days after Trump appointed the company\u2019s former attorney, Bill Barr, as attorney general. Barr said he would recuse himself from issues involving Caterpillar or other former clients.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Construction and mining equipment, defense<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>Gave $100,000 to Trump\u2019s 2025 inaugural committee.<\/li>\n
Government business:\u00a0<\/strong>Nearly a billion dollars from federal contracts in roughly the last three years, federal data shows.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong speaks at a conference in New York in 2023. – Brendan McDermid\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Coinbase<\/h3>\n
Coinbase, one of America\u2019s\u00a0largest cryptocurrency exchanges,\u00a0was founded in 2012 by CEO Brian Armstrong. The corporation, which went public in 2021 with a valuation of about $100 billion, helps users buy, sell and store cryptocurrencies. The Securities and Exchange Commission sued the company in 2023 for allegedly acting as an unregistered broker, but the Trump administration\u00a0dropped the lawsuit\u00a0earlier this year. Coinbase had said it was not in violation of any law.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Cryptocurrency<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>Coinbase gave $1 million to Trump\u2019s 2025 inaugural committee.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Brian Roberts, chairman and CEO of Comcast Corp., arrives at a conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, in 2019. – Patrick T. Fallon\/Bloomberg\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Comcast<\/h3>\n
One of the world\u2019s biggest telecommunications companies, the conglomerate owns NBCUniversal, which includes film studios such as Universal Pictures and DreamWorks, cable channels such as CNBC and Bravo, as well as Peacock, a streaming platform.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Media<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>Gave $1 million to Trump\u2019s 2025 inaugural committee, after giving $250,000 to his 2017 inauguration.<\/li>\n
Key issues:\u00a0<\/strong>The company and its CEO, Brian Roberts, have been frequent targets of Trump. This spring he called the company and Roberts a \u201cdisgrace to the integrity of Broadcasting,\u201d and previously declared Roberts the \u201cLowlife Chairman of \u2018Concast.\u2019\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Jose “Pepe” Fanjul at a memorial service for Leonard Lauder in New York in September. – Steve Eichner\/WWD\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
J. Pepe and Emilia Fanjul<\/h3>\n
Jose \u201cPepe\u201d Fanjul and his wife Emilia are part of a Cuban-American family that owns a massive sugar conglomerate. The Biden administration had previously blocked a company partially owned by the Fanjul family from shipping sugar to the US over allegations of forced labor practices, which the company\u00a0denied. The Trump administration\u00a0lifted\u00a0that block in March.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Sugar<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>The couple have given more than $3 million to Trump\u2019s campaigns and associated PACs going back to 2016.<\/li>\n
Key issues:\u00a0<\/strong>In July, Trump announced he persuaded Coca-Cola to release Coke made with cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup \u2013 a move that could benefit the sugar industry. The US government has long supported the domestic sugar industry and boosted prices. Brazil, the largest exporter of sugar to the US, was hit by a\u00a050% tariff\u00a0in July.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Edward and Shari Glazer<\/h3>\n
The Glazers are part of the extended family that\u00a0owns the NFL\u2019s Tampa Bay Buccaneers\u00a0and\u00a0a majority share\u00a0in the English football team Manchester United. Edward Glazer is the\u00a0co-chairman\u00a0of the Bucs and oversees real estate acquisitions for the family company, First Allied Corporation,\u00a0according to Forbes.\u00a0Shari Glazer is the founder and CEO of\u00a0Kalos Labs, a consulting agency that advises and strategizes global brands on blockchain technologies, NFTs and cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Sports, real estate, cryptocurrency<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>The couple gave at least $675,000 to committees associated with Trump\u2019s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Google CEO Sundar Pichai attends a meeting of the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education in September. – Brian Snyder\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Google<\/h3>\n
Google and its parent company Alphabet have joined Trump administration initiatives to\u00a0promote\u00a0AI education, and CEO Sundar Pichai\u00a0praised\u00a0the administration\u2019s investments in AI at a White House event last month. Google-owned YouTube agreed to pay $22 million towards Trump\u2019s ballroom project as part of an\u00a0agreement\u00a0settling legal claims brought by Trump over his removal from the video platform.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Tech<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>Google gave $1 million to Trump\u2019s 2025 inaugural committee, after having given $285,000 to his 2021 inauguration.<\/li>\n
Government business:\u00a0<\/strong>Among other deals, the company was\u00a0awarded\u00a0a\u00a0contract\u00a0in July worth up to $200 million related to AI capabilities at the Department of Defense.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>President Trump greets Harold Hamm at a conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2019. – Leah Millis\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Harold G. Hamm<\/h3>\n
Harold Hamm is the billionaire founder of Continental Resources, a natural gas and petroleum production company based in Oklahoma City. Considered a pioneer in hydraulic fracking, Hamm is one of the richest oil men in America and among the richest men in the world, according to\u00a0Forbes.<\/p>\n
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Industry:<\/strong>\u00a0Energy<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>Hamm has donated more than $3 million to Trump-associated PACs between 2016 and 2024, and his company Continental Resources gave more than $3.5 million. Continental also gave $100,000 to Trump\u2019s 2025 inaugural committee.<\/li>\n
Key issues:\u00a0<\/strong>In his second term, the Trump administration has significantly curbed environmental regulations and opened up more oil and gas production on federal lands \u2013 all issues Hamm supports and\u00a0reportedly pushed for in 2024.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Hard Rock International<\/h3>\n
Hard Rock International is owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida and includes a global chain of theme-bar restaurants, casinos, hotels and museums. Hard Rock International in 2017\u00a0purchased\u00a0an Atlantic City, New Jersey, casino that was once owned by Trump. It re-opened the following year as Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Hospitality, entertainment and gaming<\/li>\n
Trump connection:\u00a0<\/strong>Hard Rock\u2019s board chairman Jim Allen had previously served as vice president of operations at the Trump Organization, Trump\u2019s business and real estate conglomerate. He also serves as the CEO of Seminole Gaming.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
HP Inc.<\/h3>\n
HP Inc. is a multinational information technology company based in Palo Alto, California, primarily producing printers, printing supplies, and personal computers. CEO Enrique Lores attended a White House roundtable in September, according\u00a0to his LinkedIn.<\/p>\n
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Industry:<\/strong>\u00a0Tech<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>Gave $50,000 to Trump\u2019s 2025 inaugural committee.<\/li>\n
Government business:\u00a0<\/strong>The company has received contracts from the US military and other departments,\u00a0records\u00a0show.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Isaac Perlmutter and his wife Laura in the Oval Office on October 15. – Andrew Caballero-Reynolds\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Foundation<\/h3>\n
Isaac Perlmutter sold Marvel Entertainment to The Walt Disney Company in 2009. Perlmutter and his wife, Laura, have supported healthcare and education initiatives through their foundation, including a more than\u00a0$50 million donation to NYU\u2019s Langone Medical Center\u00a0earmarked for cancer research.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Media and entertainment<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>The couple have given more than $23 million to Trump\u2019s campaigns and supporting Super PACs since 2016.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Benjamin Leon, Jr., appears before a Senate committee hearing on his pending nomination to be the US Ambassador to Spain, on October 23. – Rod Lamkey\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Benjamin Leon Jr.<\/h3>\n
Benjamin Leon Jr. is a Cuban-American entrepreneur who\u00a0founded\u00a0a chain of healthcare centers in the Miami area. In January, Trump nominated Leon to be US Ambassador to Spain.<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Healthcare<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>Gave more than $3.8 million to Trump\u2019s campaigns and pro-Trump PACs in 2020 and 2024.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Lockheed Martin<\/h3>\n
The Pentagon\u2019s largest aerospace and defense contractor, Lockheed Martin projects more than $74 billion in sales this year. In a statement about its ballroom donation, a spokesperson for the company said it is \u201cgrateful for the opportunity to help bring the President\u2019s vision to reality and make this addition to the People\u2019s House, a powerful symbol of the American ideals we work to defend every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Industry:\u00a0<\/strong>Defense<\/li>\n
Past donations to Trump:<\/strong>\u00a0Gave $1 million to Trump\u2019s 2025 inaugural committee.<\/li>\n
Government business:\u00a0<\/strong>Earned more than $40 billion from federal contracts over the last year, according to\u00a0government data.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Sen. Kelly Loeffler and her husband Jeffrey Sprecher await her ceremonial swearing-in in 2019. – Mandel Ngan\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher<\/h3>\n
Kelly Loeffler, a Trump cabinet member who leads the\u00a0Small Business Administration,\u00a0was previously appointed US senator representing Georgia in 2020 and later lost her seat to Raphael Warnock in a run-off election. Her husband,\u00a0Jeffrey Sprecher,\u00a0is the CEO and founder of Intercontinental Exchange, which owns the New York Stock Exchange.<\/p>\n
Past donations to Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>The couple donated at least $13.5 million to Trump\u2019s campaigns, super PACs supporting them, and other associated political action committees since 2020. In June 2025, Sprecher and Loeffler donated $2.5 million each to MAGA Inc., a super PAC that supports Trump.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick observes as President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office in February. – Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The Lutnick Family<\/h3>\n
Howard Lutnick joined the Trump administration as Secretary of Commerce after decades as CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, a financial services firm. Lutnick handed the reins of the company to his 27-year-old son, and his other son also works at Cantor.<\/p>\n
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