Paolo Tiramani, founder of a Las Vegas modular housing company, heard that Donald Trump wanted to build a large, gold-emblazoned ballroom in the White House and he spied an opportunity.<\/p>\n
Tiramani quickly wrote a $10mn cheque, via a fund, joining dozens of deep-pocketed donors in bankrolling Trump<\/a>\u2019s latest real estate scheme, and getting a personal audience with the president.\u00a0<\/p>\n The money was an \u201cappreciation of what the president is doing\u201d, said Tiramani, who was invited to dine with Trump alongside billionaires Ike Perlmutter and oil mogul Harold Hamm. <\/p>\n The question of whether the construction of the 999-seater ballroom offers corporations and donors another chance to curry favour with the Trump administration has swirled around Washington this week, as bulldozers have demolished the White House\u2019s historic East Wing.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand it\u2019s controversial,\u201d the entrepreneur added, but \u201cit is not a personal project \u2014 [Trump] is not taking it with him when he leaves\u201d.<\/p>\n While hosting top donors at a glitzy dinner last week, the president depicted the project \u2014 which he initially said would not require the destruction of existing federal property \u2014 as a chance for \u201cpatriots\u201d to contribute to enhance the \u201cprestige\u201d of the White House.<\/p>\n Tech giants Amazon, Google and Meta answered the fundraising call. So did a number of companies that have sought regulatory relief or policy changes from this administration. Meta and Amazon did not respond to a request for comment. Google declined to comment.<\/p>\n Alphabet subsidiary YouTube told a court last month that its $22mn settlement with Trump over the suspension of his account in 2021 would be donated to the ballroom fund. Lockheed Martin, the US government\u2019s largest defence contractor, has reportedly pledged $10mn to the project. <\/p>\n \u201cLockheed Martin is grateful for the opportunity to help bring the president\u2019s vision to reality and make this addition to the people\u2019s house, a powerful symbol of the American ideals we work to defend every day,\u201d said a company spokesperson.<\/p>\n Crypto companies Tether, Coinbase and Ripple and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the founders of crypto group Gemini, were also among the donors, according to the White House. The SEC has dropped cases<\/a> against Coinbase, Ripple and Gemini in the past few months.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tobacco company Reynolds American and another tobacco group Altria, which have benefited from the Trump administration scrapping a Biden-era plan to ban menthol cigarettes and flavoured cigars, were also among the contributors to the ballroom fund. The companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n
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