Fox’s $1 million donation to Melania Trump initiative raises eyebrows given pending streaming deal

The American Economic Liberties Project has called for a congressional investigation after the Department of Justice approved Fox’s $22 billion acquisition of streaming company Roku.The non-profit said the deal, which the DOJ cleared Friday, should “raise alarm bells” given the corporation donated $1 million to first lady Melania Trump’s “Fostering the Future” initiative in August. The donation to the fund, makes higher education scholarships available to young people who have been in foster care, was made while the Roku deal was being reviewed, the AELP said. “It should set off every alarm bell that the Fox Corporation is giving any money to the first lady’s foster care initiative during the Justice Department’s review of its Roku deal,” Lee Hepner, AELP’s senior legal counsel, said in a statement. “This is part of a documented pattern, where big media corporations curry favor with the administration, via donations and promises of favorable coverage, and then deals get done. How can anyone credibly argue that this Justice Department is still committed to the rule of law?Fox Corporation donated $1 million to first lady Melania Trump’s ‘Fostering the Future’ initiative in August (AFP/Getty)“The next Congress has a responsibility to take these sorts of transactions seriously and root out the blatant corruption that has allowed America to turn into an oligarchy, where power keeps getting consolidated at a remarkable rate.”The Independent has reached out to Fox, the DOJ and the Office of the First Lady for comment.The DOJ explained in a previous statement Friday it had investigated the proposed acquisition between the two media companies to determine whether it “may harm competition among free, ad-supported streaming providers.” It ultimately found that the prospect was “unlikely” and that Fox would only sustain “monetary and reputational harm” if it were to attempt to prioritize its own content on Roku – which consolidates multiple platforms like Netflix, Hulu and HBO Max – so was not likely to do so.The department said it was satisfied with Fox’s pledge to keep Roku “an open and neutral content partner post-merger” and had therefore closed its investigation.The corporation announced a proposed $22 billion merger with the streaming company Roku in June (Getty)Following last week’s midterms results sweeping Democrats back to power on Capitol Hill, President Donald Trump’s administration is expected to face far greater scrutiny from next year.Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren issued a report in October pointing out 330 American companies have announced large mergers since Trump returned to office in January 2025. The report argued the numbers suggest the private sector feels now is an advantageous moment to proceed with strategies that might face more objections under a less business-friendly administration.