Democrats question tech giants on Trump ballroom donations, antitrust concerns
Nearly a dozen Democratic lawmakers pressed major tech companies Wednesday on their donations to President Trump’s ballroom, raising concerns about “any potential quid-pro-quo arrangement” related to antitrust cases and investigations.
In letters to leaders at Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Nvidia, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Rep. Dave Min (D-Calif.) and nine other Democrats underscored that the tech giants could benefit from favorable treatment on merger reviews or enforcement actions. Comcast and Union Pacific Railroad also received letters.
“The federal government must make decisions regarding the enforcement of federal antitrust laws based on the merits rather than political favors,” they wrote.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued Amazon in 2023, accusing the company of anticompetitive behavior that harmed shoppers and sellers in its online marketplace. The agency also sued Meta in 2020, although a federal judge ruled last month that the Instagram and Facebook parent does not have a monopoly over social networking.
Apple is facing an antitrust lawsuit from the Department of Justice (DOJ) for allegedly monopolizing the smartphone market, while Microsoft and Nivida are reportedly facing antitrust investigations.
Potential mergers sought by Comcast and Union Pacific Railroad could also require federal approval, the lawmakers noted.
“These interests create the potential for a quid-pro-quo exchange of a contribution to the ballroom for regulatory or other favors from the federal government,” they said.
“That risk appears particularly acute amid allegations of this Administration’s politicized decision-making in antitrust cases, not based on law and the interest of the public but based on political favors,” they added. “If your donation was made with the intent to influence government decision-making, it could run afoul of federal bribery law.”
The allegations of potential political influence on antitrust decisions stem from a dispute at the DOJ earlier this year, in which the agency fired two top officials.
One of the former officials, Roger Alford, later tore into the DOJ’s antitrust division, accusing senior leadership of allowing politically connected lobbyists to influence decisionmaking. The agency dismissed the allegations as the “delusional musings of a disgruntled ex.”
The lawmakers in Wednesday’s letter also raised concerns about the tax treatment of the companies’ donations, noting they could take a “significant tax break” that could amount to “tens of millions of dollars in lost tax revenue that otherwise would have gone toward public services.”
They pressed the firms for information on why they donated to Trump’s ballroom, whether antitrust matters were discussed in conversations about the donations, how much they are contributing, whether they’ve donated to the Trust for the National Mall in the past decade and if they’re planning to write off the contribution for a tax deduction.
The new ballroom, which is being built on the site of the former East Wing, is now expected to cost about $300 million. Other prominent tech and crypto donors include Coinbase, Google, HP, Micron Technology, Palantir Technologies, Ripple, Tether America and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.
“We’re proud to join many other Americans in supporting the U.S. government’s new facility, which will host major events for generations to come, benefitting the entire American people,” an Nvidia spokesperson said in a statement. “As an American company, our support for the United States is paramount, and independent of any business interests.”
Microsoft declined to comment. Amazon, Apple, Meta, Comcast and Union Pacific Railroad did not immediately respond to requests for comment.