Executives from tech and defense firms — including Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META), Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) — attended a glittering White House dinner hosted by President Donald Trump to raise funds for his planned $250 million state ballroom.
Corporate Leaders And Billionaires Attend Trump's East Room Event
More than three dozen corporations and wealthy donors gathered Wednesday evening in the East Room after making large contributions toward the ballroom project, which Trump described as part of his presidential legacy, reported the Wall Street Journal.
The guest list included oil tycoon Harold Hamm, Blackstone (NYSE:BXSL) CEO Steve Schwarzman and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.
"Chief executives throughout history have contributed to making the White House special, and nothing of this magnitude has been done," Trump said during the dinner.
He called the ballroom "phenomenal" and said it would be large enough to "hold the inauguration," featuring bulletproof glass and space for over 650 guests, the report said.
Google's $22 Million Contribution Draws Attention
Funds raised from the event will benefit the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit overseeing the ballroom's construction.
YouTube, a Google subsidiary, last month contributed $22 million to the trust as part of a legal settlement with Trump over his 2021 account suspension. The donation more than doubled the organization's 2024 budget.
Google's involvement has already drawn scrutiny from lawmakers, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who have questioned whether the settlement was connected to the Trump Justice Department's pending antitrust decisions against the company.
Ethics Watchdogs Raise Pay-To-Play Concerns
Ethics experts warned the fundraiser could pressure corporations with business before the government to contribute or risk losing favor with the administration.
"Every company that is invited to that dinner that either doesn't show or doesn't give knows now they will be out of favor with the Trump administration," Claire Finkelstein, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told the publication.
Preservation experts have also raised alarms, saying the $200 million, 90,000-square-foot addition could sacrifice history for haste.
Former National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis called the schedule "optimistic," warning that such a large structural change risks damaging the White House's historic integrity.
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