Trump Defends White House Ballroom Project's Costs, Claims 'It Is Under Budget and Ahead of Schedule' Despite Criticism
Trump's Defense of Costs: President Trump defended the rising costs of the White House ballroom project, claiming it is under budget and ahead of schedule, while asserting that the project will be significantly larger and more luxurious than initially planned.
Funding Sources: Trump emphasized that the project is fully funded by private donations, with no taxpayer money involved, despite concerns raised by critics regarding the involvement of major corporations as donors.
Escalating Costs: The initial projected cost of the ballroom has increased from $200 million to $350 million, raising eyebrows and prompting scrutiny from lawmakers about potential conflicts of interest due to corporate donations.
Controversy Over Demolition: The complete demolition of the East Wing to make way for the ballroom project has added to the controversy, with ongoing concerns about the implications of corporate funding on future policy decisions.
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- Earnings Beat: Alphabet's Q4 2025 results exceeded Wall Street estimates with a 2.4% revenue surprise and a 6.8% earnings outperformance, reflecting strong financial performance despite a 6.5% stock drop post-report.
- Cloud Business Surge: Google Cloud's sales surged 48% year-over-year to $17.7 billion, representing 15.5% of Alphabet's total revenue, while operating income soared 154% to $5.3 billion, indicating robust growth potential in the AI sector.
- Market Reaction Analysis: Although Alphabet lost approximately $250 billion in market value over three days due to concerns over massive AI infrastructure spending, it remains the top performer among the
- Renewable Energy Milestone: TotalEnergies' two long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with Google will supply 1 GW of solar capacity to Texas data centers, providing 28 TWh of renewable electricity over 15 years, marking the largest renewable PPA signed by the company in the U.S.
- Project Development Timeline: The power will be generated from the Wichita and Mustang Creek solar farms, which are set to begin construction in Q2 2026, further advancing TotalEnergies' strategic positioning in the renewable energy sector.
- Economic Impact and Job Creation: The development of the Wichita and Mustang Creek solar farms is expected to create several hundred construction jobs in Texas, providing economic benefits and supporting public services through tax revenues, thereby boosting local economies.
- Strategic Alignment and Market Positioning: This PPA complements other agreements secured by Clearway, a company 50% owned by TotalEnergies, which recently locked in 1.2 GW of PPAs, showcasing the company's strategy to provide tailored renewable energy solutions that support the decarbonization goals of digital players like Google.
- Long-Term Power Purchase Agreements: TotalEnergies has signed two long-term power purchase agreements with Google to deliver 1 GW of solar capacity over 15 years, equating to 28 TWh of renewable electricity, significantly enhancing Google's sustainable energy supply for its data centers in Texas.
- Project Development Progress: The power will be generated from TotalEnergies' two projects under development in Texas: Wichita (805 MWp) and Mustang Creek (195 MWp), with construction set to begin in Q2 2026, further advancing the company's renewable energy footprint in the U.S.
- Asset Portfolio Scale: TotalEnergies boasts a gross capacity portfolio of 10 GW of onshore solar, wind, and battery storage assets in the U.S., including 400 MW in the PJM market and 5 GW in the ERCOT market in Texas, showcasing its robust position in the renewable energy sector.
- Strategic Market Implications: By partnering with Google, TotalEnergies not only solidifies its leadership in the renewable energy market but also lays the groundwork for future sustainability goals, likely attracting more corporate clients to its green energy solutions.
- Tesla Position Change: Peter Thiel reduced his Tesla holdings by 76% in Q3 2025, yet it remains the largest position in his portfolio, indicating ongoing confidence in the electric vehicle market despite skepticism towards Musk's humanoid robot strategy.
- Microsoft Investment Increase: Thiel purchased 49,000 shares of Microsoft in Q3, elevating it to the second-largest holding at 34% of his total portfolio, reflecting his optimism about Microsoft's cloud services and AI integration, even as the company faces growth slowdowns.
- New Investment in Apple: Thiel initiated a new position in Apple by acquiring over 79,000 shares in Q3, suggesting he sees potential in Apple's AI capabilities, particularly its vast iPhone sales network and upcoming AI-powered smart glasses.
- AI Stock Selection: Although Thiel's hedge fund holds only three AI stocks, his choices of Microsoft and Apple demonstrate a preference for technology builders, indicating a belief that these companies will play a more significant role in future technological revolutions.
- Price Pressure Emerges: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy stated that consumers are beginning to feel the impact of the Trump administration's 10% tariffs on prices, particularly amid increasing economic uncertainty.
- Inventory Management Strategy: Jassy noted that Amazon and many third-party sellers proactively purchased inventory last year to mitigate tariff impacts, which helped keep prices stable for a time, but as supplies dwindle, tariff costs are starting to reflect in prices.
- Changing Consumer Behavior: Consumers are showing increased caution in their shopping habits, opting for bargains and hesitating on higher-priced discretionary items, indicating the economic environment's influence on spending behavior.
- Limited Retail Profit Margins: Jassy emphasized that the mid-single-digit operating margins in retail leave little room to absorb rising costs, stating that if costs rise by 10%, retailers have very few options to manage that pressure.
- Earnings Performance: Amazon reported Q4 earnings per share (EPS) of $1.95, slightly below the $1.97 expected by analysts, while its revenue of $213.4 billion exceeded the $211.3 billion forecast, indicating strong revenue performance despite the earnings miss.
- Capital Expenditure Forecast: Amazon's projected capital expenditures for 2026 are set at $200 billion, a significant increase from $132 billion in 2025; although this raised market concerns, CEO Andy Jassy emphasized that most of the spending will address high demand for AWS services.
- AWS Growth Momentum: AWS experienced a 24% year-over-year revenue increase in Q4, reaching an annualized revenue run rate of $142 billion, with a backlog of $244 billion, reflecting robust growth in the cloud services market and a 40% increase in backlog year-over-year.
- Advertising Revenue Surge: Amazon's advertising revenue rose 22% year-over-year to $21.3 billion in Q4, with significant contributions from sponsored product ads and Prime Video ads, further solidifying its competitive edge in the e-commerce sector.











