Comcast donated $7.5 million to fund President Donald Trump’s new White House ballroom, raising questions of whether the contribution was meant to curry favor with the administration.
A list obtained by The Washington Post revealed all the major donors to the project. Comcast had already been identified as a contributor, though the amount of the donation wasn’t disclosed. At the time, the company had several matters before the government, including investigations into its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, treatment of local broadcast affiliates and Kamala Harris’ appearance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. There were also rumblings of a potential Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition.
Total donations to the 89,000-square-foot, two-story ballroom totaled $333 million, according to the report. Familiar names in Hollywood that contributed: Apple, which donated $25 million, Google, which donated $22 million through a settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against YouTube, and Amazon, which donated $5 million. Separately, Dish Network chairman Charlie Ergen gave $25 million, with former Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter’s nonprofit giving more than $20 million.
After Comcast was identified as a donor last year, lawmakers raised concerns of the company trying to secure favorable treatment form the government related to merger reviews or enforcement actions. They pointed to a potential merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, which would’ve require a greenlight from competition enforcers.
“This interest in favorable action from the Trump Administration creates the potential for a quid- pro-quo exchange of a contribution to the ballroom for regulatory or other favors from the federal government,” stated the letter to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts. “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.”
It’s unknown whether the FCC’s inquiries into Comcast concluded with penalties or findings of wrongdoing.
Last month, the Supreme Court allowed construction of the ballroom to continue, pausing a ruling from a federal judge halting the project. The building is believed to be one of Trump’s top priorities.