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A long list of major firms from Apple to Meta have donated hefty sums toward Donald Trump's glitzy $300 million ballroom - but there's a notable exception. America's biggest bank, JPMorgan Chase, has not joined the chorus of corporate companies who are keen to fund the costly and extravagant White House project. The bank's chief executive, Jamie Dimon, told CNN's Erin Burnett he's wary of 'anything that looks like buying favors' - especially considering the impacts this could have for the company's dealings with future administrations. 'We have an issue, which is anything we do - we do a lot of contracts with governments here and around the world - we have to be very careful how anything is perceived, and also, how the next DoJ is going to deal with it,' he said. 'We're quite conscious of the risk we bear by doing anything that looks like buying favors or anything like that. We have helped the inaugurations, that was a normal thing that a lot of companies did.' Burnett also grilled Dimon about one corporate relationship he does regret - banking with Jeffrey Epstein until 2013. Dimon said he did not personally know Epstein and wished he never did business with him. Heavyweight donors toward the ballroom project include Apple, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Google, Coinbase, Comcast and Meta. Many of the conglomerates who have pledged to fund the elaborate plan have lucrative government contracts, and the White House is reportedly considering etching their names onto the ballroom's gold-gilded walls as a gesture of thanks. Dimon and Trump - two of the most powerful people on the planet - have a history of tensions over their disagreements about economic issues. The Chase CEO has said Trump does not understand basic economics. In 2023, he said the president was failing to grasp the concept of the debt ceiling, describing this as 'one more thing he doesn't know very much about.' Dimon backed Nikki Haley over Trump in the GOP presidential primary, and Trump hit back by calling him a 'highly overrated globalist'. He also previously called Dimon a 'nervous mess' in 2018, added that he does not think he is smart enough to ever become president. However, there are signs that their relationship has improved in recent years. The men are back on speaking terms as of this year. Dimon met with Trump at the White House twice over the summer, where he discussed the economy, trade and financial regulations with the president, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. During the meeting Dimon reportedly congratulated Trump on his new trade deal with Japan, people familiar with the matter told the outlet. The pair also discussed interest rates, a topic they have publicly disagreed on. In October, The Hill even reported that Dimon was even having a 'MAGA moment' after Chase donated $10 billion to help companies in the US enhance their growth amid Trump's trade war with Beijing. Dimon's cash injection will be crucial for US expansion in areas which Trump's America First agenda has been focusing on, including strengthening supply chains, defense technology, and establishing energy independence. But his reluctance to invest in Trump's ballroom shows the limits of their fragile friendship. Officials are referring to the grandiose building as The President Donald J Trump Ballroom, according to ABC News. Trump is set to keep the name when construction is finished. Trump has not stated publicly what he intends to call the ballroom, but many of his construction projects, including Trump Towel in New York City and the Trump Hotels chain, are ostentatiously branded with his name. The ballroom is due to be completed before Trump leaves office in January 2029, but a specific timeline has not been given. Experts have said that this goal is ambitious. The White House claims they have raised $350 million for the project with estimates suggesting it will cost more than the initial $300 million budget. A White House official said Trump 'has received such positive and overwhelming support for the ballroom that he continues to receive donations.' Trump has repeatedly claimed he plans to donate millions of dollars of his own to the White House project, which involves the controversial demolition of the DC landmark's 83-year-old East Wing.
