Leaked list shows what Microsoft, Amazon and other tech giants give for the White House ballroom – GeekWire
Microsoft has committed $10 million to President Trump’s White House ballroom project, and Amazon and T-Mobile each contributed $5 million, according to a list of internal donors obtained by The Washington Post and reported by the newspaper Thursday morning.
Pledges are subject to increased scrutiny because ballroom donations are not subject to campaign finance limits or disclosure requirements. The money goes through a nonprofit, the Trust for the National Mall, to a White House account that the president directly controls.
Of the $333 million raised so far, the vast majority has come from corporations and wealthy individuals with interests ahead of the federal government, the Post found, sparking concerns among experts that companies may be buying influence with the administration or feeling pressured to give.
The White House publicly named Microsoft, Amazon and T-Mobile among ballroom donors last October, but did not disclose the amounts. Other donors asked not to disclose their names, the Post found, including an affiliate of mortgage lender Rocket, which committed $10 million weeks after a federal agency approved its acquisition of Mr. Cooper.
Seattle-area businesses have numerous relationships with the government as suppliers, regulated businesses, and targets of federal oversight. Microsoft and Amazon are two of the federal government’s largest technology providers, and T-Mobile requires regulatory approval for all of its businesses, from wireless spectrum to acquisitions.
Amazon will face an FTC antitrust lawsuit next year, focused on its treatment of third-party sellers on its online marketplace. The FTC and 22 states also sued Amazon in August, accusing it of rigging ad auctions to overcharge advertisers.
Microsoft is at odds with Vice President JD Vance and the Department of Labor over allegations that the company laid off U.S. workers while sponsoring foreign workers for permanent residency, leading the department to suspend the company from the program.
Apple and Nvidia were among the top contributors, with $25 million each, according to the list of 67 donations above $10,000. Microsoft’s $10 million puts it in the next tier with Palantir and Lockheed Martin, while Amazon and T-Mobile joined Meta, Cisco and ServiceNow for $5 million.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the Post that the donors are “a wide range of America’s leading businesses and generous individuals, all of whom are helping to make the People’s House better for generations to come.”
A Microsoft spokesperson said the company had no comment beyond what has been publicly reported. We’ve reached out to Amazon and T-Mobile for comment.
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