Congressional Democrats are seeking answers after reports that T-Mobile executives stayed a combined 52 nights at a Washington, D.C. hotel owned by President Trump while advocating for approval of the company’s proposed merger with Sprint.
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington State sent letters requesting detailed information about those stays and whether the president was aware of them.
Previously, The Washington Post reported that T-Mobile executives, including CEO John Legere, spent 38 nights at the Trump International Hotel in Washington last year, with nine of those nights occurring the day after the Sprint merger announcement.
Subsequent reporting identified an additional 14 nights in October and December, bringing the total to 52. During one two-night stay by Legere, the room rate was reported at $2,246 per night.
Some Democrats have raised concerns that T-Mobile executives may have been patronizing Trump-owned properties in an attempt to influence the president’s position on the merger.
In their letter, the lawmakers wrote that these transactions “raise questions about whether T-Mobile is attempting to curry favor with the President through the Trump Organization and exacerbate our concerns about the President’s continued financial relationship with the Trump Organization.”
The proposed merger would combine T-Mobile and Sprint in a deal valued at $26.5 billion. The two companies rank as the third- and fourth-largest wireless carriers in the United States. Together, they serve roughly 131 million subscribers, creating a rival on par with AT&T and providing stronger competition to market leader Verizon.
Critics argue that reducing the number of major national wireless providers could lead to higher prices, slower innovation, and delays in the nationwide rollout of 5G services.
This week, Legere reiterated T-Mobile’s public commitments intended to address those concerns, pledging that the company would hold consumer prices steady for at least three years if regulators approve the merger.
In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, Legere wrote that many opponents of the deal—“largely employed by Big Telco and Big Cable”—have argued that rates will rise immediately after the merger closes. He stated, “I want to reiterate, unequivocally, that new T-Mobile rates are NOT going to go up. Rather, our merger will ensure that American consumers will pay less and get more.”
Legere added that T-Mobile is submitting a commitment to the commission that the merged company will continue to offer the same or better rate plans than those available today.
He also pledged that the merger would create 5,600 jobs.
Those commitments have been welcomed by some observers, but lawmakers and members of the public are asking for assurances that any approval was earned through appropriate channels and not influenced by business conducted at Trump-owned properties.
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