President Trump on Wednesday hosted a dinner for donors helping to fund the cost of a planned White House ballroom, including leaders of major businesses.
Trump held an event in the East Room that featured representatives from Microsoft, Google, Palantir and other companies, as well as wealthy figures such as Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.
“We have a lot of legends in the room tonight, and that’s why we’re here to celebrate you, because you gave, given tremendous amounts of money to see a ballroom for the first time at the White House,” Trump said.
The president at one point opened the curtains in the East Room to display the view of where the ballroom will be constructed.
“The White House for 150 years-plus, they wanted to have a ballroom, and it never happened because they didn’t have a real estate person,” Trump said.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the list of attendees for the dinner.
The White House in August announced plans for a $200 million ballroom adjacent to the East Wing. The space is expected to have a seated capacity of 650 people and would host State Dinners and other major events. White House officials have said the cost will be covered by donations, rather than taxpayers.
Construction of the ballroom is one of the numerous projects undertaken by Trump at the White House. He has paved over the Rose Garden grass, redecorated the Oval Office, and shared renderings for a potential arch to be built near Arlington National Cemetery.
