Hard Rock, Adelsons among donors for new White House ballroom

Two prominent names in the gaming industry are on a list of donors to the controversial White House ballroom project, including Hard Rock International.

US President Donald Trump is undertaking a massive construction project at the White House, demolishing the East Wing to clear the way for a new $300 million ballroom. The administration previously said the funding would come from private donors rather than public funds.

On Thursday, the White House made public a list of 37 donors. The Seminole-owned operator Hard Rock International and the Adelson Family Foundation of late Las Vegas Sands founder Sheldon Adelson were among those with direct ties to gaming.

Neither Hard Rock or the Seminole Tribe, nor the foundation responded to a request for comment on the donations. The administration did not disclose donation amounts.

Hard Rock was the only gambling company featured on the list. Tech, defense and oil firms like Meta, Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen made up most of the donors.

Hard Rock at work in multiple states

Florida-based Hard Rock is in the midst of multiple expansion projects, including a Las Vegas Strip resort and a potential $8 billion integrated resort project next to Citi Field stadium in Queens.

Hard Rock is one of three finalists for three available downstate licences in New York. It is partnered with billionaire New York Mets owner Steve Cohen for the project, dubbed Metropolitan Park. State regulators have until year’s end to decide whether the company will be chosen for one of the coveted licences.

The Adelson donation is not surprising given the family’s longstanding history of supporting Republican causes, including Trump’s campaigns. However, Sands has had increasingly few business dealings in the US after Adelson’s death in 2021. It withdrew casino proposals in both New York and Texas this year, and also shut down its digital gaming arm to focus solely on its Singapore and Macau resorts.

Previous connections between Hard Rock, Trump

Hard Rock’s donation could be notable for two reasons. Broadly speaking, the second Trump administration has been somewhat at odds with Indian Country, and Hard Rock is among the biggest tribal-owned companies in the US. Multiple tribal casino developments have been stymied since Trump took office and his policies have affected several facets of life for tribal members.

The Indian Gaming Association, a national lobbying group for tribal gaming, has been critical of Trump’s second term. IGA did not respond for a request for comment on the donation.

Both Hard Rock and longtime CEO Jim Allen have also had direct dealings with Trump in previous years. Allen previously served as vice president of operations for the Trump Organization, the president’s business conglomerate.

The company purchased the former Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City in 2017 for $50 million. That property is now Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City. When the purchase was announced, Allen seemed eager to remove Trump’s legacy from the building.

“It’s everywhere,” Allen told the Associated Press at the time, referencing Trump’s influence on the property. “The amount of money we’re going to have to spend to remove all those minarets and all that purple. Jesus! What were we thinking?”

Two sides at odds over Florida law?

Trump was connected to Hard Rock indirectly earlier this year because of a signature-gathering law passed in Florida (HB 1205). In that case, the two sides are essentially at odds; the law places several restrictions on how petitions and signatures can be circulated and by whom.

Florida state law requires any gambling expansion to come via constitutional amendment, which must be approved through a voter referendum with a 60% approval threshold. This is made more difficult by the bill’s restrictions, which ostensibly strengthens the Seminoles’ position.

The tribe has a statewide monopoly on Class III gaming, which includes both casino gaming and online sports betting. Hard Rock launched Florida’s only available OSB platform, Hard Rock Bet, in late 2023 after a lengthy legal battle that went to the Supreme Court. It operates a total of six casinos in the state.

Trump has never directly signaled interest in pursuing gaming ventures in Florida, but there have been indirect allusions. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush in 2015 accused Trump of trying to bribe his way to a state gaming licence in the 1990s.

“Totally false,” Trump said in response. “I promise if I wanted it, I would have gotten it.”

Additionally, the president owns a golf course in the state, in Doral. Trump’s middle son, Eric, told the Washington Post in 2021 that the location is “unmatched from a gaming perspective”. The site is just more than 15 miles from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood.