ArcelorMittal donates $37M in foreign steel to Trump ballroom and receives tariff cut

The New York Times reported on April 8, 2026 that ArcelorMittal — the world's second-largest steelmaker, based in Luxembourg — donated approximately $37 million in European-produced steel for the Trump White House ballroom renovation, days before the administration halved tariffs on automotive steel from ArcelorMittal's Canadian plant. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse wrote to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and USTR Jamieson Greer on April 10 demanding the administration explain the tariff timing. A White House official called the pay-to-play link "tenuous."