Trump's triumphal arch may be funded by TikTok settlement meant for child victims: report

Funds from a proposed settlement to end a lawsuit against TikTok could go directly towards building Trump's triumphal arch rather than the child victims the lawsuit was meant to protect, according to a new report.

The social media company TikTok expects to pay $400 million to end the 2024 lawsuit, which came after the Department of Justice "alleged that millions of children under the age of 13 were subjected to extensive data collection and excessive content meant for adults" while using the app, ABC News reported on Friday.

However, instead of giving the money from the settlement to those child victims, "the proposed settlement funds are set to directly support Trump's efforts to improve the appearance of the nation's capital," according to ABC.

Sources told ABC News that the $400 million will go towards "beautification" projects. "Officials in the White House have had weekslong discussions about whether they could legally use the money to pay for Trump's proposed massive 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery," according to ABC News.

"While the Department of Justice regularly reaches settlements with private companies accused of wrongdoing," the proposed TikTok settlement marks a departure from the practice of using the settlement funds to resolve the alleged wrongdoing or compensate victims," ABC News noted.

ABC News reported that TikTok expects to finalize the terms of the settlement on Friday. Neither TikTok nor the White House provided a comment to ABC News.