• The Adelson family and Hard Rock have donated to the White House ballroom
• The ballroom is likely to cost $300 million, Trump acknowledges
• Trump denies rumors he plans to name the ballroom after himself

The Adelson Family Foundation and Hard Rock International are two of the many donors for President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom.

An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of President Donald Trump’s plan to build a ballroom on the eastern side of the White House. The Adelsons and Hard Rock are among those paying for the project. (Image: Getty)

Construction of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom began this week with the demolition of the former East Wing. The project marks the biggest change to the White House since President Franklin D. Roosevelt expanded the East Wing in 1942, which has historically been the location of the Office of the First Lady.

Trump maintains that the ballroom is being privately funded without a single taxpayer dollar. Amid much criticism for the project, which was initially to cost $200 million, but the billionaire conceded on Friday is likelier going to be “about $300 million,” the White House disclosed the list of ballroom donors.

Two names related to the gaming industry stick out. The Adelson Family Foundation and Hard Rock are two of 37 names on the White House ballroom donor list. 

Adelson Gifts Ballroom Support

The Adelson Family Foundation is a charitable organization established by Sheldon Adelson and Dr. Miriam Adelson in 2007. The late Sheldon Adelson was the founder and longtime chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands until his January 2021 death.

The Adelsons have been Trump’s biggest financial donors dating back to his 2016 campaign. Dr. Adelson, who remains Sands’ largest shareholder with a 54% ownership position, has carried on her husband’s support of Trump.

Trump has repaid the Adelsons for their sustenance.

During his first administration, Trump relocated the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, something the Adelsons had sought for many years. Trump bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Dr. Adelson in November 2018 for being a “committed member of the American Jewish community” and funding medical research and programs to fight substance abuse.

On average, the Adelson Foundation gives around $200 million a year to Jewish and Israeli causes. The foundation is entirely funded by the Adelson family.

Hard Rock Backing 

Hard Rock International is the gaming and hospitality conglomerate owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Hard Rock owns and/or operates 18 casinos throughout North America, including in Florida, New Jersey, Mississippi, Virginia, Ohio, South Dakota, Indiana, Ontario, the Dominican Republic, Illinois, California, Iowa, and Oklahoma. The company is additionally under construction of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas on the Strip.

Trump, himself a former casino owner, has also suggested he’s helping pay for the facility. The president continues to deny rumors that he’ll name it the ballroom after himself.

“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.  

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