PANews reported on October 17th that, according to Finance Feeds, US President Trump hosted a dinner at the White House for companies that pledged to fund the construction of a new $250 million ballroom. Attendees reportedly included Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, as well as representatives from Coinbase Global and Ripple Labs. The event took place on the 15th day of the partial US government shutdown.

The dinner's guest list also included executives from Meta, Google, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, and Microsoft. Sources said the event was intended to rally prominent supporters around the ballroom project, which Trump has touted as part of his plan to "modernize the People's House." The expansion will add approximately 8,361 square meters to the White House for official ceremonies and private donor events. The project drew criticism for its cost during the partial government shutdown.