In early April 2026, social media users began claiming that U.S. President Donald Trump had plans to build his White House ballroom with $37 million worth of steel from Luxembourg.
The rumor spread on Facebook (screenshot), Instagram and Threads. Many posts called the president hypocritical, referencing his championing of the U.S. steel industry.
This claim originated from a New York Times report (archived) alleging that the White House has accepted "tens of millions of dollars worth of donated foreign steel" from ArcelorMittal, a Luxembourg-based steel maker. The Times' report said the steel "was produced in Europe" but did not specify where. (ArcelorMittal also manufactures steel in the United States.)
The Times cited "two people familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive and private conversations." The paper previously told Snopes it does not share source material as part of newsroom policy; we reached out to the Times for more information and will update this story if we hear back.
During Trump's first term, he pledged to use American steel for infrastructure projects. In his second term, he raised tariffs on foreign steel and his administration has claimed he "saved" American steel.
ArcelorMittal did not immediately return an inquiry asking for confirmation of the Times' reporting. In an emailed statement, the White House refused to confirm or deny the reporting.
"Due to the top secret and sensitive nature of various elements of the East Wing Modernization and Ballroom project, we do not discuss specific materials and where or how they are applied," the statement said.
Due to a lack of information, we have not rated this claim. Here's what we know:
New York Times report
On April 8, the Times published a story titled "White House Secures Foreign Steel for Ballroom Project." The story noted that Trump previously said "he had been offered a donation of steel for the ballroom valued at $37 million," but it did not explicitly claim that the donation Trump referenced and the reported ArcelorMittal donation were the same.
Here's how the story began (emphasis ours):