Billionaire Jeffrey Yass named as donor to Trump’s $250 million White House ballroom

This is the latest in a long history between Jeffrey Yass and President Donald Trump.

Jeffrey Yass, Pennsylvania’s richest billionaire and GOP megadonor, was one of over 100 wealthy business owners and executives who appeared on President Donald Trump’s list of donors to his $250 million White House Ballroom, according to CBS News.

It is not known if Yass attended a dinner in honor of the donors or how much money Yass donated—or if he donated at all—but since the beginning of the year, Yass, who has a net worth of over $65 billion, gifted over $16 million Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., in return for delaying the Tiktok ban.

“Jeff Yass has cemented himself as yet another billionaire cozying up to Trump to protect his fortune and expand his influence. For billionaires like Yass, government isn’t about serving the public good, it’s an investment strategy,” Arielle Klagsburn, Pennsylvania Campaign Director with ACRE and member of the All Eyes On Yass campaign, said in a statement.

The billionaire is the co-founder of the Susquehanna International Group, an investment firm located outside of Philadelphia. He is also the country’s largest investor in the Byte Dance, Tiktok’s parent company.

Photos and video of construction crews tearing down the White House’s East Wing in order to build Trump’s corporate-funded ballroom sparked outrage online, while government workers are furloughed or forced to work without pay through the government shutdown.

“ I think that when we are stripping people of SNAP benefits, when we’re taking away, critical Medicaid funding, I can see a lot better use for Mr. Yass’ money,” State Rep. Jared Solomon (D-Philadelphia) told The Keystone in an interview.

Pennsylvania House Democrats are preparing to vote House Bill 374, which was introduced by Solomon and State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, out of the House State Government Committee on Tuesday.

The bill, which passed with strong bipartisan support in the previous legislative session, would require dark money groups, which are 501(c)(4) tax-exempt non-profit organizations, to disclose independent expenditures that support or oppose different candidates.

Spotlight PA detailed how Yass’ money influences politics, especially around school vouchers.

In 2023, Commonwealth Action, a nonprofit organization linked to the Commonwealth Foundation, a Harrisburg based right-wing think tank, launched a series of ads targeting Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania House Democratic leaders for not supporting school vouchers.

Around that same time, Yass published an oped supporting the expansion of school vouchers, which was shared on the Commonwealth Action’s page, and appeared on a Commonwealth Foundation sponsored podcast promoting vouchers.

“ You’re either on the side of the people of Pennsylvania or you’re with large businesses, corporations, millionaires, and billionaires who are trying to shroud their contributions in secrecy” Solomon said about his bill.

“I think Pennsylvanians deserve the opportunity to vet all contributions and make a decision about who they want to support.”