Who's Paying for Trump's Fancy New Ballroom?

A bunch of big companies and rich folks are chipping in to build President Trump's new $300 million ballroom at the White House. They're not doing this out of the kindness of their hearts. They want something in return. Maybe it's a big government contract, or maybe they hope the president will look the other way when they do something shady. The ballroom is replacing the East Wing, and it's all being paid for with private money. No taxpayer dollars are involved. At least, that's what Trump says. The White House won't say how much each company gave, but we know some big names are involved. Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are on the list. So are some crypto companies like Coinbase and Ripple. Some of these companies have already gotten favors from the Trump administration. Palantir, a software company, has landed over $800 million in government contracts this year. Nvidia, a big chip maker, got permission to sell some of its products to China. And crypto companies like Coinbase and Gemini have seen investigations into their businesses suddenly close after they donated to Trump's causes. Defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen Hamilton also donated. They get billions in government contracts every year, so maybe they think this is a good way to stay in Trump's good graces. Even media companies like Comcast are on the list, even though Trump has called them a "disgrace" in the past. The White House says there's no conflict of interest here. They say if taxpayers were paying for the ballroom, the same people complaining now would be upset. But it's hard to ignore the fact that a lot of these donors stand to gain from the government. And it's not just about the ballroom. Some of these companies have seen big changes in how the government treats them since they started donating.