A leaked list obtained by The Washington Post has exposed the major donors behind President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, and several of them had business before his administration, from regulatory approvals to federal contracts, and one donor’s father received a presidential pardon.
The internal spreadsheet tracks 67 donations above $10,000 totaling $333 million, with at least $77 million from donors who asked to stay anonymous. The Post noted that its reporting does not show the donations led to any government action.
Here are five of the most striking findings.
1. Trump isn’t on the list
“It’s being paid for a hundred percent by me and some friends of mine,” Trump said last year, days after demolition of the East Wing began. Yet he does not appear among the donors, though the list excludes in-kind contributions.
The money raised also falls short of the $400 million Trump has said he wants, and the project’s cost has ballooned to a projected $600 million, with taxpayers covering part of it.
2. A pardoned banker’s daughter pledged $2.5 million
International banker Julio Herrera Velutini was indicted on bribery charges in 2022. A month after his charges were reduced to a misdemeanor in August 2025, his daughter committed $2.5 million to the ballroom and paid a first installment of $835,000. Trump pardoned Herrera Velutini in January, and her second payment was due this month, the Post reported. Neither responded to the Post’s requests for comment.
3. A billionaire gave $25 million after Trump’s FCC dropped its probe
The FCC ended its investigation of Charles Ergen’s company EchoStar in September 2025. While the company’s sale of licenses to AT&T still awaited federal approval, Ergen committed $12.5 million in December, asking that the source stay anonymous, and another $12.5 million in February. The FCC and Justice Department approved the sale in May.
EchoStar declined to comment to the Post.
4. Salesforce landed a $5.6 billion single-bid contract
CEO Marc Benioff committed $1 million the day after Trump publicly praised him, and Salesforce later made two more $1 million commitments. In between, the Army awarded the company a contract worth up to $5.6 billion, and the Pentagon said only one bid was received. A Pentagon official said political connections “play absolutely no role” in its decisions.
5. The White House is hunting the leaker
Spokesman Davis Ingle dismissed what he called “fake conflicts of interests,” and issued a threat to whoever leaked the list.
“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,” Ingle said, adding that the administration will “relentlessly pursue those responsible for this cowardly leak while continuing to protect all those who give.”
Companies or executives with federal contracts accounted for about half of the money raised, according to the Post, echoing earlier scrutiny of donors who landed government business. The donors who commented denied any connection between their gifts and government actions.
EchoStar declined to comment to the Post
6. AT&T blindsided with inclusion on the list
The list shows $5 million “pledged” by AT&T, the only entry described that way, while every other donation is marked “won.” AT&T was also the buyer in Ergen’s license deal, which was awaiting federal approval at the time. But the company told the Post it appears to have been listed in error.
“We have no idea what list you are talking about and have no plans to contribute to the Trust for the National Mall,” AT&T spokesperson Megan Ketterer said.
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