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Internal list shows $333 million in private donations to White House ballroom

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 9 outlets across the spectrum.

9 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Aerial view of White House ballroom construction site with steel framing, concrete walls, and cranes.
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Private donations to President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom total more than $330 million, according to a list obtained by The Washington Post and reported across the political spectrum. Nvidia and Apple are reported to have each given $25 million, as have the Adelson family and Charles Ergen, according to the New York Post and The Independent, and Nvidia has confirmed a multimillion-dollar donation. Reports of the list say some donors are entities regulated by or seeking contracts from federal agencies. The Independent and The New Republic say Trump is not listed as a donor, although he had said he would pay part of the cost himself. The Hill reports that most of the donations were made before the East Wing was demolished.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. The Washington Post obtained an internal list of donors to the White House ballroom project showing more than $330 million in private gifts.

    Reported byFar Left2Left1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic, The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Independent
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    The Washington Times

  2. The list shows no personal financial contribution from Trump, who had said he would cover part of the cost himself.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Left
    The Independent

  3. According to the list, Nvidia and Apple each gave $25 million.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent
    Right
    New York Post

  4. Nvidia has confirmed a multimillion-dollar donation to the ballroom project.

    One outletCNBC· Center

  5. According to the list, the Adelson family and Charles Ergen each gave $25 million.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent
    Right
    New York Post
Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. The Washington Post reports that some donors are entities regulated by or seeking contracts from federal agencies.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Independent

  2. Most of the donations were made before the East Wing was demolished, The Hill reports.

    One outletThe Hill· Center

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Trump would cover part of the ballroom’s cost himself.

    The Independent and The New Republic report that the internal list shows no personal contribution from Trump, despite public statements that he was paying for the project himself. The supplied text includes no White House response.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports a Washington Post list showing $330 million to $333 million in private gifts, with Nvidia and Apple among the largest donors. The left stresses Trump’s absence from the list and federal business ties of some donors; the right leads with corporate names and conflict-of-interest questions.

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Headlines frame the list as a reveal, with Far Left outlets using charged words like suck-up and vanity project and stressing that Trump is not among the donors.

    Trump’s $330 million ballroom donors are revealed — and now we know how much each is giving
    The IndependentLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Headlines report the Washington Post list plainly, attributing the donor figures to the paper and naming confirmed donors such as Nvidia and Cisco.

    Trump ballroom donors revealed in Washington Post report
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets

    Headlines lead with corporate names and dollar figures such as Apple, Nvidia and Comcast, and only the Daily Caller asks about conflicts of interest.

    Apple, Nvidia each gave $25M to White House ballroom project, among top donors: report
    New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left3

    vanity projectbeen rewarded for it in returnSuck-Up

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right1

    oligarch

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    vanity projectMore neutral: ballroom project

    Calling the ballroom a vanity project attaches a motive to the project that the article does not support with evidence.

    …Washington Post has reported that 57 companies donated $100,000 or more to the vanity project.

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Absolutist framing

    been rewarded for it in returnMore neutral: may have received business contracts or dropped investigations after donating

    The article states as settled that donors were rewarded for their gifts, without citing a record of that exchange.

    …by individuals who have already donated to Trump in other ways—and have been rewarded for it in return, in the form of business contracts and dropped investigations .

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Suck-UpMore neutral: Trump Ballroom Donors

    The label describes the donors as servile in a way that prejudges their motives.

    Trump’s Suck-Up Ballroom Donors Are Finally Unmasked

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    oligarchMore neutral: billionaire

    The label describes a billionaire in a way that carries a political judgement about her wealth and influence.

    WaPo reported that the biggest donors included the pro-Israel oligarch Miriam Adelson, who gave $25 million; tech giants Apple and Nvidia, which each gave…

    Used byThe Daily Caller (Far Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

4 outlets

Leads with

  • Trump not listed as a donor
  • vanity project cost
  • donors with government ties
See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • NPRLeft

    Investigation details who donated to the White House ballroom project

    NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Washington Post investigative reporter Sarah Blaskey about new documents obtained by the Post that detail donors to the White House ballroom project.

    Read at NPR (opens in a new tab)
  • The IndependentLeft

    Trump’s $330 million ballroom donors are revealed — and now we know how much each is giving

    Despite public assertions that he was paying for the project himself, internal records list no financial contributions from Donald Trump

    Read at The Independent (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Trump’s Loaded modifier“Suck-Up”The label describes the donors as servile in a way that prejudges their motives.More neutral: Trump Ballroom DonorsDisagree with this highlight? Ballroom Donors Are Finally Unmasked

    Funding for President Donald Trump’s massive White House ballroom comes from a series of donors with government ties, including those tied to regulatory decisions, contracts, and a presidential pardon. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • The New RepublicFar Left

    Here’s the List of Ballroom Donors—and Trump’s Not on It

    The donors behind President Trump’s $330 million White House Ballroom project have finally been revealed. Trump isn’t one of them, even though he pledged to cover a portion of the cost himself. …

    Read at The New Republic (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Washington Post as source
  • company confirmations
  • $330 million total
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Trump ballroom donors revealed in Washington Post report

    Major donors to President Trump’s White House ballroom project were revealed in a new list obtained by The Washington Post on Thursday. According to the Post, the list reveals more than $330 million in private donations to fund the ballroom effort, most of which was donated …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)
  • CNBCCenter

    Nvidia and Cisco confirm multimillion-dollar donations to Trump's White House ballroom

    Big Tech gave millions to Trump's White House ballroom, documents show

    Read at CNBC (opens in a new tab)

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

  • named corporate donors and amounts
  • Adelson family donation
  • conflict-of-interest questions

Leaves out

  • Trump not being listed as a donor

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRight

    Apple, Nvidia each gave $25M to White House ballroom project, among top donors: report

    The billionaire Adelson family, known for their hospitality holdings, and Charles Ergen, co-founder and chairman of Dish Network, also gave $25 million each to the project, according to a report.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily CallerFar Right

    Conflict Of Interest? Adelsons, Big Business Bankroll Trump’s Ballroom

    Newly obtained records show the full list of deep-pocketed donors who contributed to President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project, including names not previously disclosed, according to a list obtained and published by The Washington Post on Thursday. …

    Read at The Daily Caller (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington TimesRight

    Apple, Nvidia, Comcast among donors in $333 million ballroom fundraising

    Comcast committed $7.5M toward President Trump's new White House ballroom, among other donors such as Apple and Nvidia.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    The New Republic, Oct 15, 11:46 AM EDT

  • Center

    3 hr 57 min later

    Its first report, Oct 15, 3:43 PM EDT

  • Right

    2 hr 17 min later

    Its first report, Oct 15, 2:03 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The New RepublicFar LeftOct 15, 11:46 AM EDT
  2. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 15, 1:53 PM EDT
  3. The Washington TimesRightOct 15, 2:03 PM EDT
  4. The Daily CallerFar RightOct 15, 2:05 PM EDT
  5. New York PostRightOct 15, 3:16 PM EDT
  6. CNBCCenterOct 15, 3:43 PM EDT
  7. The IndependentLeftOct 15, 4:20 PM EDT
  8. The HillCenterOct 15, 4:43 PM EDT
  9. NPRLeftOct 16, 4:51 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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