Ripple, Tether, Coinbase donate to Trump’s $300M ballroom

A new list of private donors for President Trump’s $300 million White House ballroom includes major crypto players.

Ripple, Tether, and Coinbase are among the donors for Trump’s latest venture, in what analysts view as a striking show of digital asset influence in U.S. politics.

According to an Oct.24 report by the BBC, the 90,000-square-foot ballroom is being built on the East Wing grounds and will be entirely financed by private donations. The project began earlier this month and is expected to be completed before the end of Trump’s term. 

While the administration claims the expansion avoids taxpayer costs, it has sparked debate about donor influence.

Crypto firms join elite donor list

The donor list includes about 40 major corporations and individuals, ranging from Amazon and Google to defense contractor Lockheed Martin. Among them, Coinbase, Ripple, and Tether (USDT) stand out as the first crypto firms to appear on a high-profile White House donor registry.

Coinbase, led by chief executive officer Brian Armstrong, has been one of the most active U.S. companies lobbying for clear crypto regulations. Ripple, the issuer of XRP (XRP), has strengthened its ties with Washington this year, with CEO Brad Garlinghouse meeting Trump at a blockchain summit in March. Tether America, the U.S. arm of the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, is also listed, highlighting stablecoins’ growing role in mainstream finance.

Reports suggest that donors may receive symbolic recognition within the ballroom’s structure, such as engraved plaques or named fixtures. The list also features familiar tech figures including Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, both longtime advocates for blockchain innovation.

Crypto’s expanding political footprint

The ballroom project follows a series of Trump administration moves favoring digital assets, from executive orders on blockchain innovation to the recent pardon of former Binance founder Changpeng Zhao. Armstrong said this week that a new crypto market structure bill is “90% complete,” raising expectations of a friendlier environment for decentralized finance and stablecoin firms.

Meanwhile, critics have raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest. Senator Elizabeth Warren and former secretary Hillary Clinton have questioned the influence of private donors, warning that such arrangements could amount to “pay-for-access” politics.

Preservation groups have also filed a lawsuit seeking to delay the project. Still, the inclusion of leading crypto companies on the donor list marks a turning point for the industry.

Once seen as outsiders to Washington’s power structure, firms like Coinbase, Ripple, and Tether are now helping fund one of its most symbolic buildings. Analysts see this as is a clear sign that crypto’s place in U.S. policymaking is no longer peripheral.