Is it illegal for the president to spend ‘patriotic’ donations on a White House ballroom or anything else?

Uncle Sam may receive charitable gifts, but that doesn’t give presidents free rein on how to spend those funds.

By: Ellen P. Aprill, University of California, Los Angeles, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 20, 2026

Words: 1,271

Last Updated: 1 month, 4 weeks ago

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By Ellen P. Aprill, University of California, Los Angeles

The fate of President Donald Trump’s estimated US$400 million White House ballroom may hinge on the little-known and somewhat surprising rules as to when the federal government and its agencies can accept privately donated funds.

That’s because Trump’s is using the fact that he’s been accepting private donations to pay for at least some of the project’s cost as a justification for not needing …

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