Category: White House

Trump Allowed the Sale of Powerful Nvidia H200 Chips to China

US President Donald Trump has approved the sale of Nvidia’s H200 chip to China. This decision reduces the export controls that the U.S. has placed on Chinese technology.

On Monday, Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping about this decision. Under this plan, 25 percent of the sales revenue will go to the U.S. government. Trump said that sales would only be allowed to “approved customers” and would include measures to protect national security. He stated his administration would take the same approach with other chipmakers like AMD and Intel.

“This policy will support American jobs, strengthen U.S. manufacturing, and benefit American taxpayers,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Nvidia, based in Santa Clara, California, said the decision strikes a “thoughtful balance” and will help support high-paying jobs and manufacturing in America.

Nvidia shares increased by over 2 percent after hours due to recent news.

Significant Policy Change from the Biden Administration

Former President Donald Trump announced a significant change from the Biden administration’s policy. Biden’s government had limited Nvidia and other chipmakers to selling downgraded versions of their products for the Chinese market.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump criticized Biden’s approach. He said it made U.S. tech companies spend billions on downgraded products that “nobody wanted.”

The H200, released in 2023, is Nvidia’s strongest chip outside of the latest Blackwell series. Trump confirmed that the Blackwell series will still be restricted for the Chinese market.

Although the H200 is not the most advanced chip, it is almost six times more powerful than the previous H20 chip, according to the Institute for Progress, a non-partisan think tank based in Washington.

In August, the Trump administration announced an agreement with Nvidia. Nvidia will pay the US government 15 percent of the money it makes from selling the H20, a product made to meet restrictions on the Chinese market.

Tilly Zhang, a Chinese tech expert at Gavekal Dragonomics, said Trump’s decision shows the realities of the market and strong pressure from Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang.

According to Zhang, the focus is now on competing for market share instead of just blocking China’s tech progress. She mentioned that since blocking China’s technology growth is getting harder, the US is now prioritizing increasing market share and revenue.

Zhang said this change signals a shift in the competition between China and the US in artificial intelligence. She believes that chipmakers in both countries may innovate faster, which could lead to more dynamic markets.

Democratic lawmakers quickly criticized Trump’s announcement.

Trump Administration Harmed US Security – Elizabeth Warren

US Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts accused the Trump administration of harming US security.

“Trump is allowing Nvidia to export advanced AI chips that his own Department of Justice has said are being illegally smuggled into China,” Warren stated on X. She referred to several investigations by the DOJ into illegal chip shipments.

“His own DOJ called these chips ‘building blocks of AI superiority.’”

Chris McGuire, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that Trump’s recent decision is a setback for the U.S. in its competition with China to lead in artificial intelligence (AI).

He noted that easing export controls on AI chips will help Chinese AI companies catch up to advanced U.S. AI models. It will also allow Chinese cloud computing firms to set up competitive data centers around the world. McGuire, who worked on tech policy in Biden’s White House, shared these thoughts with Al Jazeera.

He warned that this could undermine the administration’s efforts to keep the U.S. AI technology in a leading position globally.

December 9, 2025
Trump will Engage in Sudan Peace Efforts During Ongoing Civil War – Rubio

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that President Donald Trump is personally overseeing efforts to end the war in Sudan, which is now in its third year and has caused severe suffering for the civilian population. During a cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday, Rubio emphasized that Trump is “the only leader in the world capable of resolving the Sudan crisis.”

Last month, Trump announced plans for the U.S. to collaborate with other members of the Quad, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, along with additional regional partners, to put an end to the brutal 30-month conflict.

At a conference in the U.S., Trump said that the Saudi prince asked him for help to stop the fighting in Sudan. He called Sudan a very dangerous place and said many people there need help. Trump also said that other world leaders want him to take action to end the violence.

The civil war in Sudan began in April 2023, when the government-controlled Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) clashed with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over control of areas, including the capital, Khartoum.

Peace negotiations have been complicated by recent advances made by the RSF. Earlier this week, the RSF claimed to have taken control of Babnusa, a key city in the central Sudanese region of West Kordofan, although the SAF disputed this claim.

Babnusa is a crucial gateway to the western Darfur region, which the RSF fully controlled last month, as well as to the entirety of western Sudan. The RSF’s assault on Babnusa builds on its momentum following the capture of the city of el-Fasher, the army’s last stronghold in Darfur, after an 18-month siege. The RSF has faced accusations of committing widespread atrocities in el-Fasher.

Recent War Efforts Violate Unilateral Ceasefire

The latest fighting appears to violate a unilateral ceasefire announced by the RSF after mediation efforts by the Quad. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) turned down the ceasefire terms suggested by the Quad, saying they favor the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) too much. The SAF also accused the RSF of continuing attacks even though they declared a truce. The SAF claims that the involvement of the United Arab Emirates in the Quad is unfair and that the proposal is meant to weaken the army.

While the UAE has been widely accused of supporting the RSF with funding and weapons, it has consistently denied any involvement.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressed his concerns on Thursday about the possibility of new atrocities occurring amidst the intense fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The UN Human Rights Council has already initiated one inquiry into reported atrocities, which include systematic mass murder, rape, torture, and the forced displacement of non-Arab ethnic groups since the RSF took control of el-Fasher.

According to UN estimates, the ongoing war in Sudan has resulted in over 40,000 deaths. The reported number of affected individuals is underestimated, with the actual figure likely much higher. The UN has called this the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, as millions have been displaced and some regions are facing famine.

December 4, 2025
The Trump Government Will Reinterview Refugees Admitted under Biden

The Trump administration is reinterviewing some refugees who entered the U.S. during Joe Biden’s presidency as part of a case review, according to an internal memo and a knowledgeable source.

This action is unusual for Trump’s efforts to limit immigration, as it targets some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Refugees must show that they have experienced persecution or fear persecution in their home countries. They also undergo a strict vetting process that can take years before they can enter the U.S.

Trump officials have questioned the refugee admissions program, which has usually had support from both parties. They argue that the previous administration did not adequately vet the refugees. Trump has mostly stopped refugee admissions, making a narrow exception for White South Africans.

The review and reinterview process will likely be handled by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The memo, dated November 21, says this is necessary to make sure refugees do not pose a threat to national security or public safety. Between fiscal years 2021 and 2025, about 235,000 refugees entered the U.S. after going through the admissions process.

The State Department directed CNN to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comments. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the Biden administration’s “reckless approach has weakened our immigration system and put the safety of Americans at risk. We are now taking steps to ensure that those in the U.S. truly belong here.”

U.S. Refugees Go Through Most Rigorous Checks

For many years, the U.S. has admitted more refugees than any other country, taking in millions since the Refugee Act of 1980. This program faced cuts when Donald Trump was president. He reduced the number of refugees allowed to enter the U.S. The coronavirus pandemic also stopped resettlements for a time. President Biden is working to restore the program and aims to accept 125,000 refugees each year.

Mark Hetfield, president of the refugee resettlement group HIAS, said, “Threatening refugees with losing their status is cruel. It would re-traumatize them and misuse taxpayer money.”

Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International, said that refugees in the U.S. go through the most rigorous checks of any group of migrants. He explained that they have detailed evaluations of their status, background checks, and security screenings. “The Trump administration knows this,” he said.

Konyndyk criticized Trump for trying to resettle White South Africans, who do not qualify as refugees. He said, “It’s hard to see this as anything but an excuse to take away protections from those who truly need them.”

The planned interviews will check if refugees still meet the admission criteria once in the country. A recent memo says the agency can stop refugee status without allowing an appeal. The memo also puts a hold on pending applications for refugees looking to change their status until the director of USCIS decides otherwise.

Refugees must apply for permanent status one year after arriving in the U.S. At the UN General Assembly in September, Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau said the current asylum system is outdated and has been misused. This, he argued, has made “mass illegal migration legal.”

November 25, 2025
US Urged Sudan’s Warring Parties to Accept the Ceasefire Plan

The United States envoy has urged the warring parties in Sudan to accept his truce proposal without imposing any preconditions.

Massad Boulos, an adviser to President Donald Trump on African and Arab affairs, stated during a news conference in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday that he had presented a “comprehensive” ceasefire plan to the warring generals in Sudan, but neither side accepted it. He emphasized, “We would like them to accept the specific text that was presented to them” in its original form, referring to the commanders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

These comments followed an announcement from RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, declaring that his paramilitary group would adhere to a unilateral “humanitarian truce” for three months.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander of the Sudanese army, criticized the text proposed by the White House envoy, calling it “the worst” proposal since the vicious civil war began in April 2023.

The leader of the military government said that a plan from “the Quad,” which includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, would weaken the army and keep the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in place.

Al-Burhan’s rejection of the plan shows his belief that the UAE supports the RSF with military and financial help, a claim the UAE denies. In March, the UAE criticized Sudan’s attempt to file a case against it in the International Court of Justice, calling the allegations a “cynical publicity stunt.”

Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, who was with Boulos on Tuesday, stated that the UAE supports efforts to end the war and condemns the “atrocities” committed by both the army and the RSF.

First Violation of Ceasefire

International organizations, satellite images, and eyewitness accounts have reported mass killings and rapes happening around el-Fasher for months. Amnesty International recently warned in a report that RSF (Rapid Support Forces) fighters are committing war crimes in el-Fasher.

Amy Pope, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), told Al Jazeera that the main concern is getting access to people who have been cut off from humanitarian aid and services in el-Fasher. She said, “When humanitarian workers are in danger, when they are killed, shot, or detained, we cannot provide what people need to survive.”

Pope stressed that the most urgent issue is ensuring a ceasefire and creating a humanitarian corridor so that aid groups can bring help to civilians caught in the conflict.

Agnes Callamard, the secretary-general of the NGO, criticized the UAE for allegedly supporting the paramilitary forces. She said, “These atrocities are made possible by the United Arab Emirates’ support for the RSF. The UAE’s ongoing backing of the RSF fuels the cycle of violence against civilians in Sudan.”

Later, the Sudan Doctors Network NGO reported that the RSF and South Sudan’s SPLM attacked the al-Zallataya Mine in South Kordofan and kidnapped more than 150 men and children. The organization called this act a “heinous crime” and pointed out that it is the first clear break of the RSF’s supposed humanitarian truce. They said that the militias took young men and children to recruit them as future fighters, which is a war crime and goes against international humanitarian law.

November 25, 2025
Trump Designated Nicolás Maduro as a Member of a Foreign Terrorist Organization

The Trump administration is set to expand its ability to take action against Venezuela starting Monday, as the U.S. labels Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his government allies as members of a foreign terrorist organization.

This designation of “Cartel de los Soles,” a term experts believe describes corrupt government officials rather than an organized crime group, will allow President Donald Trump to impose new sanctions on Maduro’s assets and infrastructure. However, it does not clearly give permission to use lethal force, according to legal experts.

Despite this, administration officials say the designation will give the U.S. more military options for actions within Venezuela.

“Cartel de los Soles” refers to a loose network of Venezuelan military groups involved in drug trafficking. President Maduro denies any involvement in drug trafficking, and his government disputes the existence of the alleged cartel, which some experts claim does not exist in a conventional way.

This designation was announced on November 16 and comes as the U.S. military has brought together more than a dozen warships and 15,000 troops in the region under what the Pentagon calls “Operation Southern Spear.” The U.S. military has carried out boat strikes against drug traffickers, resulting in the deaths of many people.

Trump has received updates from top officials about different ways to act in Venezuela. Options include military strikes on key government or military targets and special operations raids, but doing nothing is also an option.

On Monday, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his senior adviser, David Isom, will visit Puerto Rico. They want to thank service members for their support of missions in the Caribbean Sea.

Trump Administration to Cut Illegal Migration

Many people in the U.S. are against military involvement in Venezuela. A CBS News/YouGov poll released on Sunday shows that 70% of Americans oppose military action, while 30% support it. Additionally, 76% of those surveyed feel that the Trump administration has not clearly explained its position on military actions.

The Trump administration says it is working to reduce illegal migration and drug trafficking, but achieving regime change in Venezuela may be a side effect. A U.S. official stated that Trump hopes pressure will make Maduro step down without any direct military action.

In response, the Venezuelan government rejected the classification of the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization, calling it a “ridiculous fabrication.”

They added, “This new move will end up like all previous aggressions against our country: it will fail.”

Trump has indicated that he might be open to talking with Maduro. Last week, he mentioned that Maduro “would like to talk” and later said he could speak with him “at a certain time.”

Tensions are rising, and on Thursday, the U.S. showed a strong military presence near Venezuela. During several hours, at least six U.S. aircraft were seen off the coast, including a supersonic F/A-18E fighter jet, a B-52 bomber, and reconnaissance planes, according to flight data reviewed by CNN.

Over the weekend, three international airlines canceled flights from Venezuela after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines about a “potentially hazardous situation” when flying over the country, according to Reuters.

November 24, 2025
Trump Announces New Pardons for Jan 6 Defendants

President Donald Trump has recently granted pardons to two defendants connected to the January 6 incident, who are also facing charges on unrelated matters. One of these defendants, Suzanne Kaye, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for allegedly threatening to shoot FBI agents in her social media posts.

According to the Department of Justice under the Biden administration, on January 31, 2021, the day before Kaye was scheduled to meet with FBI agents regarding a tip about her presence at the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 riot, she posted videos on social media claiming that she would “shoot” FBI agents if they came to her home. The FBI became aware of Kaye’s social media posts on February 8, 2021, and she was arrested at her home in Florida on February 17, 2021.

A White House official told Fox News Digital that Kaye is prone to stress-induced seizures and experienced one while the jury read its verdict in 2023. The official noted that this case involved disfavored political speech, which is protected under the First Amendment.

U.S. Special Attorney Ed Martin posted about the recent pardon on Saturday, expressing gratitude to Trump in a post on X. He stated, “The Biden DOJ targeted Suzanne Kaye for her social media posts, resulting in an 18-month federal prison sentence. President Trump is undoing the damage caused by Biden’s DOJ weaponization, allowing the healing process to begin.”

Wilson – January 6 Defendant Continued to Serve Time for the Firearms

Daniel Wilson, a defendant from January 6, remains imprisoned despite Trump’s pardons for several convicted rioters. This is because he had pleaded guilty to firearms charges. A White House official told Fox News Digital that President Trump decided to grant Wilson an additional pardon due to the firearms being discovered during a search of Wilson’s home in relation to the Capitol riot.

Although Wilson was included in the broad pardon granted to January 6 defendants by Trump on January 20, 2025, he continued to serve time for the firearms charge, set to be released in 2028. Before his sentencing on January 6-related charges, for which he received a five-year prison term, Wilson pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a banned person and possession of an unregistered firearm.

Initially, the Trump administration’s Justice Department said the firearms charge wouldn’t be part of the January 6 pardon. They later reversed this decision, citing “further clarity,” but did not explain the change.

In his original pardon, Trump stated that under his authority granted by Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, he was commuting the sentences of individuals “convicted of offenses related to events that happened at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.” This pardon included Wilson’s charges from January 6, but did not cover those related to firearms.

A U.S. Judge Condemned the Phrase “Related to” in Trump’s Original Pardon

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee involved in Wilson’s case, rejected the broad interpretation of what Trump was pardoning. She argued that it extended the bounds of the order too far. In her opinion, Friedrich criticized the use of the phrase “related to” in Trump’s original pardon, stating that it should indicate a specific factual link between the conduct underlying a particular offense and the events of January 6, 2021.

An appeals court later upheld her objections, requiring Wilson to remain in custody during the appeal process. Wilson has previously identified himself as a member of the Oath Keepers and the Gray Ghost Partisan Rangers militia, according to Politico.

“Dan Wilson is a good man. After being unjustly imprisoned for more than seven months, he is happy to be back home with his family,” said Wilson’s attorneys, George Pallas and Carol Stewart, in a statement to Politico. “This act of mercy restores his freedom and highlights the problems that have divided our nation.”

November 16, 2025
Will the Trump Administration Start Military Operations in Venezuela?

According to some CNN sources, U.S. President Donald Trump was briefed this week on options for military operations in Venezuela to pave the way in the country. Trump has not yet decided on how to proceed, and he is carefully weighing the risks and benefits of launching a more extensive campaign. The president has previously expressed concerns about the effectiveness of taking military action to remove Nicolas Maduro.

During Wednesday’s briefing, the president received an updated set of options to consider, but there were no indications that he is any closer to making a decision, according to one source. Another individual familiar with the briefing noted that the options presented were similar to those discussed at the Pentagon and some that have been made public in recent weeks.

The target options for a new operation called “SOUTHERN SPEAR” have been developed by the United States Southern Command, which has established planning cells for this purpose. This information comes from a senior U.S. official familiar with the planning. Top officials from Trump’s national security team, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine, presented these options.

Hegseth announced the operation on X Thursday night but did not provide specific details. He stated, “Led by Joint Task Force Southern Spear and @SOUTHCOM, this mission defends our homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our hemisphere, and secures our homeland from the drugs that are killing our people. The Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood – and we will protect it.”

Operation Southern Spear

Earlier in January, Southern Command had already announced an operation named “Operation Southern Spear,” which will employ “long-dwell robotic surface vessels, vertical take-off and landing robotic air vessels, and small robotic interceptor boats” to assist in counternarcotics efforts.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, described by the U.S. Navy as “the most capable, adaptable, and lethal combat platform in the world,” arrived in the Caribbean this week as part of a significant increase in U.S. military resources.

Trump has several options for dealing with Venezuela. These include airstrikes on military or government sites, targeting drug routes, and attempts to remove Maduro directly. CNN reported that the president is considering plans to attack cocaine production facilities and drug trafficking routes in Venezuela.

However, it is also possible that he may choose to take no action at all. Administration officials informed lawmakers last week that the U.S. did not have a legal justification to support attacks against land targets, although they noted it might be possible to create one. Recently, Trump told CBS’s “60 Minutes” that he was not considering strikes inside Venezuela, despite having expressed openness to the idea earlier.

US Has No Legal Justification for Attacking Venezuela

Last Week, officials from the Trump administration informed lawmakers that the U.S. is not currently planning to conduct strikes inside Venezuela and lacks a legal justification for attacking any land targets at this time. This information was shared during a briefing by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and an official from the White House’s Office of Legal Counsel.

During the classified session, lawmakers were informed that the opinion provided by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which was previously reported by CNN, does not authorize strikes within Venezuela or in any other territories. Additionally, the “execute order” that initiated the U.S. military campaign against suspected drug boats in September does not apply to land targets, according to the briefers. In meetings, the president has appeared cautious about ordering actions that could lead to failure or endanger U.S. troops, according to sources familiar with the situation.

November 16, 2025
Trump Govt. Excludes Democrats from Briefing on Recent U.S. Military Strikes

According to a prominent Senate Democrat and a person with direct knowledge of the matter, the Trump administration briefed Republicans on Wednesday regarding US military operations on suspected drug boats without informing Democratic senators of the briefing. When the Trump administration excluded Democratic members on Wednesday, Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner blasted the action as “a partisan stunt” that “is a slap in the face to Congress’ war powers responsibilities and to the men and women who serve this country.”

A classified Justice Department OLC memo detailing the administration’s legal rationale for the strikes – which CNN first reported on earlier this month – was presented to the Republicans by administration officials during the meeting. Warner said in a statement that it is “indefensible and dangerous to exclude Democrats from a briefing on U.S. military strikes and to withhold the legal justification for those strikes from half the Senate.”

“Decisions regarding the use of American military force are not the exclusive domain of one political party, nor are they the subject of campaign strategy sessions,” he stated. “Any administration that treats them in that manner undermines our national security and violates Congress’ constitutional duty to supervise matters of peace and war.”

The Virginia Democrat continued, “It also sets a reckless and deeply troubling precedent,” adding that the administration should immediately provide Democrats the same briefing and the OLC opinion. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. Warner’s comments come as the Trump administration accelerates its attacks against boats that they allege are involved in drug trafficking.

Highly Misleading Briefings

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the US military conducted another strike against a vessel in the Pacific Ocean that day, killing four people. “This vessel, like all the others, was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” Hegseth said in a post on X.

This is the 14th time that the US military has reportedly attacked a suspected drug-smuggling ship. On 15 boats in total, the activities had claimed the lives of 61 persons. Earlier this week, the Trump administration told CNN that it has given seven different secret briefings on US military operations on suspected drug boats.

President Trump Govt. Excludes Democrats from Briefing on Recent U.S. Military Raid Source: Web

However, other politicians claim they haven’t gotten the information they’re looking for. The administration “appears to be counting the same briefing given multiple times to certain staff or members (including in small groups),” a Democratic Senate official told CNN. Therefore, seven briefings are incredibly deceptive.

According to two sources who spoke to CNN earlier Wednesday, Pentagon officials are scheduled to provide members of the House Armed Services Committee with a classified briefing on Thursday regarding the recent US military strikes on vessels suspected of being involved in drug trafficking.

October 30, 2025
Pentagon Accepts $130 million Anonymous Trump Ally Donation to Fund Troops

The Defense Department revealed Friday that the Trump administration intends to use a $130 million donation from a President Donald Trump loyalist who wishes to remain anonymous to pay military personnel during the government shutdown. The money was received under the department’s “general gift acceptance authority,” according to a statement released by chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell to CNN. “The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost-of-Service members’ salaries and benefits.”

The action is a dramatic break from government practice, which has hitherto relied on congressionally authorized public funds to fund the military. Additionally, it immediately sparked inquiries regarding the identity of the contributor and the reasons behind sending the government the nine-figure cheque. It’s unlikely that the $130 million donation will have a significant effect on paying the salaries of the approximately 1.3 million active-duty military personnel, which comes to about $100 per service member.

On Friday, appropriators from both parties of Congress stated that they were still waiting for an explanation from the administration regarding the details of the donation. Democrats also questioned its legality, arguing that the Pentagon’s cited gift acceptance authority only allows gifts for a few specific uses, like supporting military schools, hospitals, and cemeteries, or helping injured soldiers or the families of those killed or injured in the line of duty.

Offset a Lapse in Appropriations

Donations from foreign governments or organizations may also be subject to further, stricter regulations. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, the leading Democrat on the Senate’s defense budget subcommittee, said in a statement that using anonymous donations to finance our military raises serious concerns about whether our own troops are in danger of being literally bought and paid for by foreign powers.

Additionally, budget experts questioned whether the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits federal agencies from utilizing federal monies in excess of what has been allotted to them, would be violated if the donation were used to pay military personnel. During the shutdown, Democrats have repeatedly charged the administration with breaking that rule, notably when it decided to fire thousands of government employees.

“The Antideficiency Act makes it clear that private contributions cannot be used to make up for a lapse in appropriations,” said Bill Hoagland, a senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center and a former Senate GOP budget aide. “The law is very clear, so I think they could accept it, but they couldn’t use it for that purpose,” Hoagland told CNN.

Pentagon Receives $130 million Anonymous Trump Ally Donation to Pay U.S. Military Source: Web

In an effort to address military shortages, Trump praised the $130 million donation on Thursday, claiming it came from “a friend of mine.” Declining to reveal the donor’s identity, he said, “He doesn’t really want the recognition.”

A White House spokesperson directed inquiries to the Pentagon and Treasury regarding the donor’s name and any connections to foreign organizations or interests. After that, the Pentagon forwarded those inquiries back to the White House. A request for comment was not immediately answered by Treasury. In addition to calling the donation “anonymous,” the Pentagon did not answer inquiries about whether it intended to inform Congress of the specifics of its use.

October 25, 2025
Trump’s Multi billion-dollar White House Ballroom Funded by Wealthy Donors, List Revealed

The identities of the affluent individuals and businesses funding US President Donald Trump’s new $250 million White House ballroom remain a mystery as work gets underway. On Monday, excavators and construction workers started pulling up sections of the East Wing as part of the groundbreaking for the elaborate 90,000 sq-ft project.

The U.S. President has stated that he will personally fund a large amount of its construction and implied that certain unnamed benefactors would be prepared to invest over $20 million to finish the project. Some legal experts are worried about the funding mechanism because they believe it could be equivalent to paying for access to the administration.

Richard Painter, who served as the Bush White House’s chief ethics lawyer from 2005 to 2007, told the BBC, “I see this enormous ballroom as an ethics nightmare.”

Major Donors Funding W.H. Ballroom Project

Painter continued, “It is raising money by gaining access to the White House and I dislike it. These corporations all want something from the government.” Senior executives from well-known US corporations, including Blackstone, OpenAI, Microsoft, Coinbase, Palantir, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, attended a dinner for prospective contributors on October 15 at the White House.

The owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Manchester United, Shari and Edward Glazer, together with their siblings, were also in attendance, as was Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets NFL team.

The BBC’s US partner, CBS News, obtained a commitment form that implied donors would be eligible for “recognition” for their contributions. Names engraved on the building could be one way to honor them, though designs are still being finalized.

At first, the White House said that 650 people could be accommodated in the enormous building. Trump stated this week that it can accommodate 999 people. So yet, only one contribution has been identified.

President Donald Trump’s Multi billion-dollar White House Ballroom Project Funded by Wealthy Donors Source: Web

According to court filings, YouTube will contribute $22 million to the project as part of a settlement with Trump over a lawsuit alleging that his account was suspended after the disturbance at the US Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021. However, it’s unknown how many or how much of the remaining attendees have promised to donate. White House officials said they intend to make the formal list public, but it has not yet been released.

Trump Remarks, “I will take it”

The Trust for the National Mall, a non-profit organization that collaborates with the National Park Service and raises money for projects on the Mall and at the White House, would manage the gifts, according to documents that CBS was able to get.

Trump claimed that several of the attendees at the luncheon for possible donors had been “really, really generous” and that some had inquired as to whether $25 million was a suitable donation. Trump stated, “I said – I will take it,”

The White House has stated that future administrations will use the ballroom and that there was nothing improper about asking for donations. It has stated that US taxpayers will not be charged for the restoration. The money given to the ballroom “will eventually pay for itself and save costs,” according to Martin Mongiello, a former executive chef at the White House and general manager of Camp David who has served under seven administrations, who spoke to the BBC.

Furthermore, without accounting for other incidentals related to hosting large-scale events, the tents that are occasionally erected outside for gatherings – which he called “elbow to elbow” and “embarrassing” – often cost $1 million or more. However, Mr. Painter said it might be regarded as a “pay-to-play scheme,” which has plagued both political parties’ past White House administrations.

October 23, 2025