Washington, D.C. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in writing to the leading fundraiser and lobbyists working to coordinate private donations for President Trump’s multi-million dollar White House ballroom project.
According to recent reporting, Meredith O’Rourke, the Trump campaign’s lead finance operative, is coordinating with lobbyists with close ties to the Trump administration to solicit donations for the ballroom from major corporations, Big Tech companies, and billionaires with interests before the administration.
Senators Schiff, Blumenthal, and Warren are demanding answers from O’Rourke and the lobbyists she is working with about how the fundraising is being organized and coordinated, how donors are being identified and solicited, and what promises may have been or may yet be made in exchange for these substantial contributions.
“Soliciting hundreds of millions of dollars in private donations to build a White House ballroom bearing the president’s name raises questions that Americans deserve to have answered. Many of the donors to the project have deep financial, business, or other personal interests before the Administration,” the Senators wrote.
The Senators continued, “Indeed, a recent report revealed that more than half of the Trump Ballroom donors are facing, or have recently faced, enforcement actions from the federal government and that ballroom donors have received more than $279 billion in federal contracts in the last five years. And, another report found that two-thirds of the corporate ballroom funders are represented by one of the three lobbying firms identified as coordinating the ballroom funding.”
Last month, Senator Schiff led Senate Democrats in launching a push for answers into the financing of President Trump’s White House ballroom, which includes private donations from individuals and corporations whose business interests are directly impacted by the administration and its decisions.
The full text of the letter sent to O’Rourke is available here and below. Similar letters were sent to Jeffrey Miller, CEO of Miller Strategies LLC; Reince Priebus, President & Chief Strategist of Michael Best Strategies LLC; and Brian Ballard, President of Ballard Partners.
Dear Ms. O’Rourke:
Since July 2025, President Trump has solicited $300 million in private donations to build what has been presented to donors and the public as “the President Donald J. Trump Ballroom” (“Trump Ballroom”). Despite assurances from the White House that the President has been “incredibly transparent” about the renovations, critical details about the plans for the project have changed numerous times, including its total cost and scope. Indeed, the cost of the project has been projected to jump 50 percent to $300 million from a previous projection of $200 million. Moreover, recent reporting has revealed that the donation pledge form for the Trump Ballroom offers donors the option to donate without public disclosure and that, in fact, a significant number of private donors to the project had been kept secret by the White House, completely belying the Administration’s claims of transparency, and raising serious questions about the identity and motivation for these donors. The sheer amount of fundraising necessary to complete this project has clearly required coordination and expertise. Recent news reporting indicated that these efforts are being led by one of the Trump campaign’s leading fundraisers, in coordination with three lobbyists with close ties to the Administration. Given your reported role in this fundraising effort, we write to request information regarding your efforts to raise money for the construction of the Trump Ballroom.
Soliciting hundreds of millions of dollars in private donations to build a White House ballroom bearing the president’s name raises questions that Americans deserve to have answered. Many of the donors to the project have deep financial, business, or other personal interests before the Administration. Indeed, a recent report revealed that more than half of the Trump Ballroom donors are facing, or have recently faced, enforcement actions from the federal government and that ballroom donors have received more than $279 billion in federal contracts in the last five years. And, another report found that two-thirds of the corporate ballroom funders are represented by one of the three lobbying firms identified as coordinating the ballroom funding. Many questions remain about the fundraising for this project, including how the fundraising is being organized and coordinated, how donors are being identified and solicited, the amount of each contribution, any agreement reached with each contributor, what promises may have been or may yet be made in exchange for these substantial contributions, the reasons donations were permitted to be made anonymously, and the extent of any pledges and donations that have not yet been disclosed. The American people are entitled to all the relevant facts about who is funding the most substantial construction project at the White House in recent history.
As one of the parties raising private donations for the construction of the Trump Ballroom, you and your firm possess critical information about the Administration’s management of this project, how contributions have been obtained, and what President Trump or his representatives may have agreed to provide in exchange. To assist our offices in our inquiry into the financing of the demolition of the East Wing and construction of the Trump Ballroom, please preserve all documents, records, and communications related to contributions to the Trump Ballroom, and provide the following information by December 4, 2025:
- Please provide a comprehensive description of your and your firm’s role in the effort to raise funds for the Trump Ballroom, including but not limited to:
- When were you first asked to assist with efforts to raise funds for the Trump Ballroom?
- Who requested your participation in this effort? Please identify everyone you spoke with about the project, including but not limited to all White House personnel or members of the Trump family.
- What was the target amount of funds that you were originally asked to raise?
- Has the target fundraising goal changed at any point in time? If so, to what amount and why?
- What guidance or instructions were provided to you regarding which donors or type of donors to solicit funds from?
- Were you told not to solicit funds from any individual donors or types of donor (e.g., foreign countries or entities)?
- What were you told to offer donors in exchange for a contribution to the Trump Ballroom? Did this vary based on the identity of the donor or the amount of the contribution? If so, how?
- Were donors offered the opportunity to be named in an acknowledgement wall or other similar fashion within the Trump Ballroom?
- Please produce all materials that you were provided or otherwise used to solicit donations for the Trump Ballroom.
- Do you have any formal and/or financial relationship to or arrangement with the Trust for the National Mall?
- How are you and/or your firm being compensated for your role in the Trump Ballroom fundraising project?
- Will you receive a fixed fee or are you receiving a percentage of funds raised?
- Are you eligible for incentive payments for achieving target fundraising goals?
- What is the total amount of compensation you expect to receive for raising funds for the White House Ballrooms?
- Please produce any and all agreements you have entered into reflecting the scope of your fundraising efforts and/or any compensation you or your company will receive in exchange.
- Is any payment you are receiving derived from the Trust for the National Mall?
- Please provide a complete list of individuals or entities that you have solicited for donations or pledges to fund construction of the Trump Ballroom, as well as the following information about each solicited pledge or contribution
- The total amount of each donation or pledge solicited;
- The date of each solicitation;
- Whether the donation or pledge was made and, if so, in what amount;
- Whether the individual or entity from which you solicited the donation is your client;
- The date the donation or pledge was made or offered;
- Whether the donation or pledge was intended to be anonymous;
- Whether you made any representations that the prospective donor would be more likely to secure favorable action from the federal government if it made a donation;
- Was anything offered in exchange for the donation or pledge, including but not limited to access to government officials, attendance at White House or other events, public or private recognition of the donation, or anything else, regardless of inherent monetary value?
- Will the donation be made to the Trust for the National Mall or to another entity (including the name of any other entity receiving the donation)?
Please contact our offices if you have any questions about responding to these requests. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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