SoftBank donated $50M to Trump's library before its US data center deal

SoftBank contributed $50 million to the Trump Presidential Library in January, two months before the administration announced a deal leasing SoftBank federal land in Ohio for a data center. The timing drew scrutiny in a letter from Senators Warren and Blumenthal and Rep. Stansbury questioning possible bribery.

Why it matters: This adds to a pattern of large political contributions from tech companies coinciding with favorable government deals, worth watching alongside other administration AI policy moves like the shelved Chinese AI ban and an AI security testing plan that excludes open models. It raises questions about how much political access is shaping AI infrastructure decisions.