Is There a Foreign Donor Behind Donald Trump's Ballroom Project? Here's What We Know

President Donald Trump, who takes pride in the quality of American steel, has slapped foreign metal brands with heavy tariffs to reduce competition. However, his promise to protect U.S. manufacturers from overseas competition may not be durable after all. An exclusive report by the New York Times claims he may have granted a tariff break to a foreign steel manufacturer in exchange for tens of millions of dollars worth of steel for his $400 million White House ballroom.

The report revealed, "Mr. Trump described the metal as 'great steel as opposed to garbage steel, because they dump a lot of garbage around. You know, steel is like everything else, including human beings. Steel could be high quality, and it can be low quality. He wants to make sure it’s high quality.”

The news outlet cited anonymous sources who claim that ArcelorMittal, a Luxembourg-based steel firm, is providing steel for the structure of the ballroom project. The steel was produced in Europe, where the majority of ArcelorMittal’s production is located. The firm takes pride in being the world’s second-largest steel manufacturer.

Although the White House never released a statement regarding the generous donation, last October, the President had revealed that he had been offered a donation of steel for the ballroom, valued at $37 million. Following Donald Trump’s big revelation, the White House cut tariffs in half on exports from ArcelorMittal’s Canadian plant.

A White House official, however, called any connection between the tariff reduction and the alleged donation "tenuous."

Speaking about the donation, Trump said, “He said, ‘Sir, I’d like to donate the steel for your ballroom,’ I said: ‘Whoa, that’s nice.’ And I found out — ‘How much is the steel?’ I called the contractor. ‘Sir, it’s down for $37 million.’ I said, ‘This is a nice donation, right?’”

Donald Trump named U.S. based company, Carrier, as the donor behind the air conditioning. The White House has made the names of some donors to the project public while shielding the identities of others. Neither Trump nor the White House revealed the donor behind the steel.

The reason is quite simple. The use of foreign steel for a ballroom built at the White House may not sit right with domestic companies and unions, especially because Trump has promised to promote and shield the U.S. industry. Notably, the Steel Manufacturers' Association has claimed that its members stood "ready to supply the high-quality, American-made steel" the president needed.

Donald Trump has repeatedly boasted that no taxpayer's money would be poured into the Ballroom project. Davis Ingle, a White House spokesman, said that Donald Trump was “making the White House beautiful and giving it the glory it deserves at no cost to the taxpayer — something everyone should celebrate.”

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