A more than 8,000 square meter large ballroom with space for nearly a thousand people will be located in the East Wing of the White House. The demolition began this week and the new ballroom is expected to be completed before the end of the current term.
The renovation is expected to cost the equivalent of just over two billion kronor. It will be paid for by Trump himself and, so far, anonymous donors. No tax money will be used.
The financing model is not entirely unproblematic, says Richard Painter, a lawyer specializing in ethics issues and who has worked under, among other things, George W Bush.
I see this enormous ballroom as an ethical nightmare. You use access to the White House as a way to raise money, all these companies want something from the government, he says to BBC.
Google-owned Youtube will contribute with just over 200 million kronor as part of the settlement they reached with Trump after he sued the company in 2021.
Last week, a dinner was held at the White House for potential donors. Among the invited were representatives from, among other things, Google, Open AI and Microsoft, as well as New York Jets owner Woody Johnson and Shari and Edward Glazer, who own, among other things, Manchester United.
You can't prove any potential consideration, but I think the Trump administration is pushing the boundaries, says Richard Painter.
