SoftBank Donated $50 Million to Trump’s Library Months Before Federal Data Center Deal
SoftBank gave $50 million to Donald Trump's presidential library in January, shortly before announcing a federal land lease for a massive data center in Ohio. Lawmakers have questioned whether the timing indicates bribery.
Japanese investment giant SoftBank contributed $50 million to the Trump Presidential Library in January, according to information disclosed in response to a June inquiry from Democratic lawmakers. The lawmakers — Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Richard Blumenthal, and Representative Melanie Stansbury — raised concerns about potential bribery after learning that SoftBank announced a federal land lease for a data center project in Ohio just two months later.
In March, SoftBank's subsidiary SB Energy revealed a public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy to build what it called the "world's largest" artificial intelligence data center at the department's site in Portsmouth, Ohio. As part of the arrangement, SB Energy will construct a nearby gas-fired power plant with a capacity of at least 9.2 gigawatts.
Warren questioned the timing in a statement, saying it strains credulity to believe the donation and the lease deal were unrelated. The lawmakers' initial letter noted that SoftBank had previously donated to the presidential libraries of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, but only after those presidents had left office and after the library foundations were established. In contrast, the Trump donation came while Trump was still in office and before any presidential library existed.
The original fund responsible for donations, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Fund, was dissolved by the state of Florida last September for failing to file an annual report. SoftBank clarified that its $50 million contribution went to a different entity, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc. According to Citizens for Ethics, Donald Trump's son, Eric Trump, serves as a trustee of that nonprofit.
SoftBank stated in its response that, consistent with its previous contributions to presidential libraries, the donation is intended to support the construction and operation of the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library.
The exchange highlights ongoing concerns about the intersection of corporate donations and government decisions in the United States.
