The White House named 37 private donors to President Trump's $300 million East Wing ballroom, with Comcast the only company on the list that owns major news outlets. On his show, Jim Acosta said NBC had “compromised itself,” while MSNBC hosts including Rachel Maddow and Stephanie Ruhle criticized the donation as a reputational risk. Donors have not disclosed how much they gave or why, though a court filing revealed a $22 million contribution from Google. NBC Nightly News reported the demolition was funded by private donors “among them Comcast,” and the Associated Press noted no evidence Comcast influenced NBC's coverage. The Washington Post endorsed the project in an unsigned editorial and later added disclosure of Amazon and Jeff Bezos as donors, as critics warn such gifts may be seen as attempts to curry favor during government reviews.
