Who exactly is paying for the White House ballroom? That seems like something we should have had a clear answer on before the East Wing was reduced to a pile of rubble, but the plan has been shockingly difficult to nail down — until now.

One year ago, the president announced we were getting a ballroom “compliments of a man known as Donald J. Trump.” A month later, the White House said the project would actually be paid for by “President Trump and other patriot donors.” We know dozens of companies and individuals — including many that have business with the government — have contributed to the project. But the contract governing ballroom contributions shields donors’ identities. It’s unclear if Trump has personally contributed anything beyond the $24.5 million he won in a YouTube settlement.

One point Trump and White House officials have been very clear on is that the ballroom won’t “cost taxpayers a dime.” They’ve repeated this phrase again and again. Last month, as Republicans tried (unsuccessfully) to slip $1 billion in taxpayer funding for the ballroom into a reconciliation bill, Trump insisted that public funding was for ballroom “security adjustments and upgrades,” not the building itself.

Trump claims the ballroom is funded by his money, despite congress requesting $1B for the construction pic.twitter.com/9g0AZwa3gM— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) May 19,........

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