While the U.S. government is at a standstill during the shutdown, the grounds of the White House have been busy this week. Construction workers have begun demolition on the East Wing of the White House, which will be replaced by a 90,000 square foot ballroom It is estimated to hold 1,000 guests
Taxpayers are not funding President Donald Trump’s $250 million project. Rather, he is using private donations to build his extravagant addition to the White House.
The White House has released a List of project financiers Thursday, which includes some of the most influential American technology companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft, as well as defense companies like Palantir and Lockheed Martin and telecom providers like Comcast and T-Mobile. The crypto industry is also represented among White House ballroom donors, with money coming from Coinbase, Ripple, Tether America and the Winkleves twins.
It is unclear how much each donor contributed to the project. Anyway, at least $20 million Part of a recent lawsuit from Google disposal Due to YouTube’s suspension of Trump’s account after the January 6, 2021 riots. TechCrunch asked Google whether the settlement represents the full amount of the company’s contribution, but has yet to receive an answer.
Silicon Valley’s relationship with Trump has changed significantly. Much of the tech industry though initially Defying Trump when he first became president in 2016, it has come naturally to Trump in his second term. Meta, for example, did not donate Funded Trump’s first inauguration, but contributed $1 million to the president’s second inauguration; Amazon donated $58,000 the first time, but this time it donated nearly $1 million.
The donation reflects a broader alignment between Trump and the tech industry.
The industry may be more willing to cooperate with the current Trump administration as many of these major tech companies face antitrust lawsuits. The Trump administration has been far less aggressive in its antitrust enforcement than former President Joe Biden’s FTC was under former FTC Chair Lina Khan.
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Trump has taken a more aggressive approach to AI development than his predecessor, which has been a financial boon for companies that develop that technology. In his AI action plan, which was unveiled in July, Trump and his administration outlined goals to cut red tape and use government funding to help build data centers.