The new White House ballroom will reportedly be built not with American steel but with metal imported from Europe. Two people familiar with the plans tell the New York Times that ArcelorMittal, the Luxembourg-based steel giant, is donating tens of millions of dollars' worth of European-made steel for the $400 million project, despite President Trump's effort to keep foreign metals from reaching the US market through tariffs. "Make America Luxembourg Again?" responded California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a vocal Trump critic.
Trump previously told donors a "great steel company" had offered a gift worth $37 million, but he did not name the firm; the White House has disclosed some project donors, including a US company behind the air conditioning, while allowing others to stay anonymous. As the Times reports, just days after Trump publicly praised the steel donation last October, the White House issued a proclamation allowing tariff reductions for steel and aluminum producers with operations in Canada or Mexico, a category that includes ArcelorMittal.
A White House official denied any quid pro quo, noting no company has yet received the break, while spokesperson Davis Ingle suggested no one should be upset with the steel donation when it is at no cost to the taxpayer. The report comes days after the non-partisan Campaign Legal Center alleged lobbyists had violated federal disclosure laws at an "unprecedented" scale by not disclosing donations to the ballroom project and other Trump projects, per Newsweek. In response, a White House rep said, "The only interests the President considers when making decisions is the best interests of the American people."
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