Trump's list of donors for White House ballroom misses the richest man on Earth

The White House revealed the names of the donors for US President Donald Trump's plans to build a ballroom worth $300 million. The donors include top businessmen, CEOs, companies, and crypto platforms. Some of the popular contributors are major tech firms such as Tim Cook-headed Apple, Jeff Bezos' Amazon and Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, reported CNN.

However, one name that has been missing from the list of donors is the world's richest man and former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE ) head, Elon Musk, who was once known to be Trump's close aide and one of the biggest donors to his political campaign.

What is White House ballroom?

Trump earlier announced the construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. The White House informed that the newly constructed ballroom will have a seating capacity of 650 people, a significant increase from the 200-person capacity in the East Room of the White House.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump also clarified that the project is privately financed and does not involve taxpayer money.

Who is on the donor list?

The list of donors for the White House ballroom includes several companies, such as Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Coinbase, Hard Rock International, HP Inc., Tether America, T-Mobile and several billionaire investors. Meanwhile, the US president has said that he will contribute to the construction.

Musk, one of the biggest donors to Trump's campaign

Elon Musk spent around $288 million for Trump's political campaign ahead of the 2024 US Presidential election, making him one of the biggest political donors, according to a report by the Washington Post.

However, in May this year, Musk stated that he intends to significantly reduce political donations in the future, indicating a shift away from the approach of being Trump’s leading supporter.

“I think, in terms of political spending, I’m going to do a lot less in the future,” Musk said during an interaction at Qatar Economic Forum.

Reflecting on the reason to spend less on political donations, Musk said, “I think I’ve done enough.”

Tesla boss went on to say that he may change his mind at some point.

“Well, if I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it,” Musk said.

“I do not currently see a reason,” he added.

Trump-Musk fallout

Elon Musk's absence from the White House ballroom donors list comes after his public fallout with the US President. Trump and Musk’s relationship deteriorated earlier this year, and personal insults were exchanged on social media.

Even though Musk was instrumental in a government cost-cutting initiative by heading DOGE during Trump's second term, their relationship soured over legislation ending tax credits for electric vehicles, which directly affected Tesla, Bloomberg reported.

However, Musk stated that his opposition was due to worries about the “big beautiful bill” and rising federal deficit; he even suggested creating a third political party to compete with both Republicans and Democrats. In reply, Trump warned he would withdraw Musk’s government contracts and subsidies. Nonetheless, subsequently, both parties made efforts to find common ground.

Last month, speaking on Musk's return to the Republican party, Trump said on the Scott Jennings show,“I don’t think he has a choice."

“He’s a good man. He got off the reservation, incorrectly, and that’s okay, because, you know, it’s just one of those things,” he added.

(With inputs from Bloomberg.)