SoftBank gives $50M to Trump’s presidential library foundation

What happened

Presidents raise money for their libraries after they leave office, and Trump is raising it while in office. He is doing it through the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation.

On July 15, 2026, the Wall Street Journal found the library foundation had taken in at least $103 million. The largest single donor was SoftBank, the Japanese conglomerate, at $50 million. Its chief, Masayoshi Son, stood beside Trump in January 2025 to announce the Stargate data-center venture, and its chip and telecom investments turn on federal approvals.

Another $53 million came from companies settling Trump’s personal lawsuits against them: Meta, Paramount and ABC. The entity that first received settlement money, the Library Fund, was dissolved by Florida in September 2025 for failing to file paperwork. Three senators wrote to the companies the next day asking where their money went.

Who benefited

Trump controls the library foundation that took the money. SoftBank gave the largest gift to a sitting president’s personal project while needing his government’s permission for its biggest bets.

Who wanted something

SoftBank has a $500 billion Stargate plan, a stake in Arm, and U.S. telecom and chip positions, all of which involve federal decisions. The settling companies wanted their lawsuits over and had regulatory matters pending.

Who lost out

The public lost the ability to see who is paying the president. A library foundation does not have to disclose donors, and the Journal had to reconstruct the list. Up to $14.5 million of the settlement money cannot be traced at all.

Why it matters

A corporate gift to a sitting president’s library is a donation to him with no limit and no disclosure. SoftBank’s $50 million is the largest in the record. It came from a company with more business before the government than almost any other.

Sources Sen. Elizabeth Warren (primary)Kyunghyang Shinmun (citing The Wall Street Journal)