Adelsons, Hard Rock Among Donors for $300M White House Ballroom

• Gambling
• 25 October 2025

Among the several contributors to President Donald Trump's White House ballroom are the Adelson Family Foundation and Hard Rock International.

The previous East Wing was demolished this week to start construction on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Since President Franklin D. Roosevelt expanded the East Wing, which has traditionally housed the Office of the First Lady, in 1942, the project represents the largest alteration to the White House.

According to Trump, not a single taxpayer money being used to fund the ballroom. The White House released the list of ballroom donors amid intense criticism over the project, which was originally supposed to cost $200 million but the billionaire said on Friday is probably going to be "about $300 million."

There are two names that stand out in relation to the gaming industry. The White House ballroom donor list includes 37 names, including the Adelson Family Foundation and Hard Rock. 

Adelson Provides Ballroom Assistance

Sheldon Adelson and Dr. Miriam Adelson founded the Adelson Family Foundation as a nonprofit in 2007. Up to his passing in January 2021, the late Sheldon Adelson served as Las Vegas Sands' founder, chairman, and CEO.

Since his 2016 campaign, the Adelsons have been Trump's largest financial contributors. Dr. Adelson has continued her husband's backing for Trump and is still Sands' biggest shareholder with a 54% ownership stake.

Trump has paid the Adelsons back for their food.

Trump moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem during his first term in office, fulfilling the Adelsons' long-standing request. In November 2018, Dr. Adelson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump for being a "committed member of the American Jewish community" and supporting medical research and initiatives to combat substance abuse.

Through medical research, Holocaust awareness, and educational projects, the Adelson Family Foundation has always supported organizations that aim to strengthen Israel and the Jewish people. Although foundation monies have previously been utilized for political purposes, including Republican elections, the White House ballroom is somewhat outside of those boundaries.

The Adelson Foundation typically donates $200 million annually to Israeli and Jewish charities. The Adelson family provides all of the foundation's funding.

Strong Rock Support 

The Seminole Tribe of Florida owns Hard Rock International, a gambling and hospitality company.

In North America, including Florida, New Jersey, Mississippi, Virginia, Ohio, South Dakota, Indiana, Ontario, the Dominican Republic, Illinois, California, Iowa, and Oklahoma, Hard Rock owns and/or runs eighteen casinos. The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas on the Strip is also being built by the business.

Notable companies that contributed to the White House ballroom include Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Google, HP, Meta, Microsoft, and T-Mobile, in addition to the Adelsons and Hard Rock. Another supporter of ballroom is billionaire Stephen Schwarzman, whose Blackstone owns the Bellagio and Cosmopolitan on the Las Vegas Strip.  

Trump, a former casino owner, has also hinted that he is contributing to the facility's cost. Rumors that the president will name the ballroom after himself are still being refuted.

“That’s fake news. We’re probably going to call it the presidential ballroom or something like that,” Trump said Friday before departing for an event trip to Asia.