Seattle-area companies among donors to Trump’s White House ballroom
Several companies headquartered in the Seattle area have donated to President Donald Trump’s new ballroom at the White House, according to a White House list of donors.
Amazon, Microsoft and T-Mobile made the list provided to the Seattle Times on Thursday by the White House.
Each of the three companies is based in the Puget Sound area: Amazon in Seattle, Microsoft in Redmond and T-Mobile in Bellevue.
“Ahead of America’s 250th Anniversary, T-Mobile donated to the Trust for the National Mall, which partners with the National Park Service to restore and enrich the historic landmarks that define our nation’s capital, such as the White House ballroom,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
“T-Mobile has no role in the use of those funds or decisions related to the construction of the ballroom.”
Amazon and Microsoft representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why their companies chose to donate, how much they donated and what (if anything) they hoped for in return.
Trump’s White House alteration – projected to cost $300 million – centers on building a new ballroom in the East Wing. Construction, which includes demolishing part of the historic building, began this week after an initial announcement in July.
Though the decision has sparked controversy, the White House shrugged off criticism as “the latest instance of manufactured outrage” in a Tuesday news release. Spokespeople pointed to past presidential renovations as justification for Trump’s project, which is said to be privately funded, including by Trump personally.
The three Seattle-area companies have previously put sizable donations toward Trump’s initiatives. Amazon and Microsoft each donated $1 million to the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee, according to a Seattle Times investigation published earlier this year.
Other major names on the ballroom construction donor list include Apple, Google, HP, Lockheed Martin and Meta.
The list of around 40 donors consisted of companies, foundations and individuals.
- Altria Group
- Amazon
- Apple
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- Caterpillar
- Coinbase
- Comcast
- J. Pepe and Emilia Fanjul
- Hard Rock International
- HP
- Lockheed Martin
- Meta Platforms
- Micron Technology
- Microsoft
- NextEra Energy
- Palantir Technologies
- Ripple
- Reynolds American
- T-Mobile
- Tether America
- Union Pacific Railroad
- Adelson Family Foundation
- Stefan E. Brodie
- Betty Wold Johnson Foundation
- Charles and Marissa Cascarilla
- Edward and Shari Glazer
- Harold Hamm
- Benjamin Leon Jr.
- The Lutnick Family
- The Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Foundation
- Stephen A. Schwarzmann
- Konstantin Sokolov
- Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher
- Paolo Tiramani
- Cameron Winklevoss
- Tyler Winklevoss