Apple, Nvidia each gave $25M to White House ballroom project, among top donors: report

Apple and Nvidia each gave $25 million to President Trump’s White House ballroom project – making them two of the largest donors in a massive fundraising campaign that has largely been kept under wraps, according to a report.

Secretive documents obtained by the Washington Post showed the two tech giants each contributed $25 million, the highest individual donation amount.

The billionaire Adelson family, known for their hospitality holdings, and Charles Ergen, co-founder and chairman of Dish Network, also gave $25 million each to the project.

It raised a total of $333 million from private donors, including at least $77 million from donors who requested anonymity, according to additional documents. 

The vast majority of the wealthy individuals and companies have interests subject to the federal government, raising concerns about conflicts of interest, the Thursday report said. 

White House spokesman Davis Ingle dismissed ethical concerns, saying the White House does not disclose personal information about private donations made to nonprofits. 

“The same critics who are alleging fake conflicts of interests, would also complain if American taxpayers were footing the bill for these long-overdue renovations,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told The Post. 

“The donors for the White House ballroom project represent a wide array of great American companies and generous individuals, all of whom are contributing to make the People’s House better for generations to come.” 

Apple did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

A spokesperson for Nvidia also defended the donation, telling The Post: “As an American company, our support for the United States is paramount, and independent of any business interests. We were proud to be able to make a donation to a nonpartisan trust that serves all Americans and have said so publicly since the donation was made.” 

The Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Foundation – founded by Ike Perlmutter, former CEO of Marvel Entertainment, and his wife – gave $20.27 million to the project, according to the report. 

Comcast, which was already a known donor, gave $7.5 million; Microsoft, Palantir and Lockheed Martin each donated $10 million; and Amazon, T-Mobile and Meta each gave $5 million, per the report. 

Alphabet – which owns Google and YouTube – earlier agreed to pay $22 million to settle the president’s lawsuit alleging censorship after he was suspended from the video-sharing platform, and those funds have been directed toward the project, according to the documents. 

In January 2025, Apple Chairman Tim Cook – then the company’s CEO – announced a personal $1 million donation to Trump’s inaugural fund. 

He later gifted Trump a custom plaque with a 24-karat gold base during a press conference about Apple’s $600 billion pledge toward US jobs and manufacturing. 

In October 2025, Nvidia emerged as a top donor to the ballroom project – roughly three months before it struck a deal with the White House to sell its AI chips to China, despite national security concerns. 

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told reporters at the time that the company was contributing “in a small way.” The company reportedly requested its $25 million donation be kept anonymous.

Trump is not on the list of contributors. The president previously said he would help fund the project. 

Ingle, the White House spokesman, took aim at the Washington Post for reporting on leaked documents, saying:“We will relentlessly pursue those responsible for this cowardly leak while continuing to protect all those who give.”

“Instead, the Washington Post traffics in leaks from rogue employees, risking the reputation of a completely apolitical organization, in an effort to violate the privacy and free speech rights of American patriots who are generously donating their resources to Make America Great Again. It is shameful.”

In August, the Supreme Court ruled that work could continue on the ballroom project for now as the president challenges a judicial order that would halt construction.

Trump has argued the planned ballroom – which will seat 1,000 guests and cover nearly 90,000 square feet – is needed for national security purposes, noting the project includes bomb shelters, medical facilities, sniper nests and a drone port.