YouTube Settlement Funding Good Chunk of Trump Ballroom

The tech giant Alphabet, parent company of Google, is funding an appreciable portion of the new White House ballroom's cost—by way of an eight-figure settlement following President Trump's ban from YouTube after the Capitol riot. This payment, made as part of that legal settlement, covers nearly 10% of the ballroom's projected $250 million price tag. CNBC reports the settlement language specifies the money will be contributed on Trump's behalf "to the Trust for the National Mall, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity dedicated to restoring, preserving, and elevating the National Mall, to support the construction of the White House State Ballroom."

Trump has repeatedly promised that taxpayers will not foot the bill, insisting that the ballroom "is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly," as he put it on Truth Social. Still, the full list of donors remains murky. CBS News previously reported by way of sources that heavyweights like RJ Reynolds, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin (the Hill got confirmation it was donating), Palantir, and NextEra Energy have chipped in, but exact amounts and details are unclear. YouTube's full settlement amount was $24.5 million; CBS News reports the remaining $2.5 million will go to other plaintiffs whose accounts were yanked.