Corporate Donors Fund Trump’s $300 Million White House Ballroom

Last month in October, Trump’s destructive chaos reached the White House itself, where he began a demolition of the East Wing. His ultimate plan is to replace it with a $300 million dollar ballroom, which will span 90,000 square feet and be capable of accommodating 1,000 guests. The ballroom is intended to host galas, dinners, and other lavish events for foreign diplomats, major donors, and any other guests of honor.

The construction project has received widespread critique. Much of the criticism stems from the fact that over $350 million dollars have been raised entirely from private donors to fund the construction, highlighting the deep relationship the government has with the country’s largest corporations. Donors include large tech companies and defense contractors. Two thirds of these donors (16 out of 24) have entered into government contracts, totaling $43 billion this year alone and $279 billion across the last five years. One of the donors is Lockheed Martin, a weapons manufacturer that received a staggering $191 billion dollars in contracts in the last five years. Furthermore, many of these corporations have faced antitrust lawsuits – Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft NVIDIA, and T-Mobile – or labor rights lawsuits – Amazon, Apple, Caterpillar, Google, Lockheed Martin, and Meta. This clearly exposes the relationship between the U.S government and the powerful technology and defense companies. It is clear whose interests the Trump administration serves.

Additional criticism comes from the fact that Trump did not gain approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, which is required before making any changes or renovations to the White House. Conveniently for him, the commission has been closed due to the ongoing government shutdown. It reveals the tone-deaf extravagance that Trump displays at a time where millions are affected by the shutdown. Federal workers are working without pay, uncertain if they will ever receive back pay. Meanwhile, one in eight Americans — around 42 million people — depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and payments have been delayed and now face potential cuts under the current administration. Trump clearly has nothing to offer working people, especially those hoping to find relief from their economic burdens. The verdict is clear: this administration serves the country’s massive corporations, not the people.

>> The article above is reprinted from Speak Out Now!