Trump’s Freedom 250 sponsors include companies with government business

WASHINGTON — On the National Mall this week, Freedom 250 signs direct visitors to temporary attractions, a Ferris wheel and temporary history exhibits. The sponsor’s names appeared next to Trump-related programs. Other states were represented by official delegates. Others had opted out, leaving replacement displays or demolished booths in their place.

As the state prepares to mark its semiquincentennial, or 250th birthday, the splashiest celebrations in Washington are being shaped by business money.

A CNBC analysis found 14 companies supporting America250, a non-profit organization that supports the US Semiquincentennial Commission created by Congress, and Freedom 250, a secret Trump-backed partnership among some of the administration’s most visible events.

Companies listed online as supporting both are: BoeingDeloitte, Exiger, John Deere, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, The Oracle, PalantirPhorm Energy, RTX SAP, Scotts Miracle-GroUFC and United Airlines.

Of those companies, only John Deere responded to CNBC’s request for comment, but did not respond to specific questions about the sponsorship of both organizations. John Deere said it was eager to celebrate the people whose work helped “build power, feed and support” the US

Several of those companies have large businesses before the federal government, including defense contracts, technology contracts, regulatory interests, merger considerations, tax issues and other policy issues shaped by the Trump administration.

CNBC found no evidence of a connection between Freedom 250 funding and the companies’ dealings with executives.

But it’s another example of the complicated intersection of American business and politics under a president who is too close to corporations.

Watchdogs and ethics experts said the structure gives corporate executives a new way to seek access to President Donald Trump, with more money hidden from the public eye.

“The concern is not that the companies are sponsoring the national celebration. The concern is that this celebration seems to give the president an opportunity and some of those companies have business before his administration,” said Bruce Freed, president and founder of the Center for Political Accountability which advises companies on the use of money in politics.

Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee released a report this week criticizing the president and Freedom 250, accusing them of diverting funds and misleading donors.

The Freedom 250 fundraiser, first reported by the New York Times, described tiered funding: Donors who gave at least $500,000 were given VIP access, invitations and preferred seating at events, according to the New York Times. The $1 million donation came with an invitation to a private “thank you” dinner hosted by Trump and a photo opportunity, the Times reported, and donors giving $2.5 million or more were offered speaking roles at a July 4 event in Washington.

For $10 million or more, the companies received VIP access to all Freedom 250 events, logo rights, prepared press releases, a July 4 speaking role and a private reception hosted by Trump and a photo opportunity, according to the Times report.

Those types of tiered benefits are common in large event sponsorships. Watchdogs said the Freedom 250 is unique because some of the sponsors have businesses before the administration, the sponsor structure is unclear and the benefits are tied to events built around Trump.

“For millions of dollars, you get to meet and greet the president, and what we’ve seen when you walk into a room with Donald Trump, it’s often very profitable for your business,” Matt Dallek, a political historian at George Washington University, told CNBC.

Freedom 250, America250 and the White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Two different groups were planning the July 4th holiday celebrations.

The first, America250, came out of a bipartisan congressional commission created in 2016 to plan the country’s 250th anniversary. Its work focuses on community programs, including student competitions, volunteer programs and events across the country.

Freedom 250 came about after Trump returned to office and wanted to put his own stamp on the anniversary. When Trump announced the effort on social media in December, he promised “the most spectacular birthday party you’ve ever seen.”

The Freedom 250 and related events have become a vehicle for the events of some of Trump’s most prestigious celebrations: the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, the planned arch model facing Washington, the IndyCar race through the capital, the UFC fight at the White House and more.

Congress has set aside $150 million this year, but America250 had only received $25 million as of early June, according to a report obtained by the Washington, DC, based digital news source NOTUS. The effort associated with Trump received much more: about $ 80 million in grants related to 250 to the National Park Foundation, NOTUS reported for the first time.

One possible explanation for why companies might support both groups, Freed and other experts say, is that America 250 offered a traditional symbol of patriotism, while Freedom 250 put sponsors closer to Trump’s preferred version of the celebration.

“If you’re a company with government contracts, regulatory issues or merger interests, being in the room with the president can be more expensive than the funding itself,” Freed told CNBC.

The UFC could be a clear example of how Freedom 250 obscured Trump’s corporate capital, personal network and policy interests.

The company helped put on the Freedom 250 mixed martial arts event at the White House on Trump’s birthday weekend. UFC President Dana White, a longtime friend of Trump, also sent Trump a May 11 letter asking him to withdraw a provision in the “Big Beautiful Bill Act” that capped the deduction for gambling losses at 90%, ESPN reported. That arrangement is still in effect.

The UFC declined to comment on its listings on the Freedom 250 and America250 sites. CNBC found no evidence that UFC’s corporate sponsorships influenced government decisions.

Business money has long been a part of national celebrations.

The 1976 Bicentennial received so much corporate funding that critics derided it as the “centennial of shopping.” Former President Richard Nixon, too, was accused of trying to direct the memorial through the executive branch during preparations for the celebrations before his resignation in 1974.

One high-profile project of the Bicentennial, the American Freedom Train was sponsored by five companies – Pepsi-ColaAtlantic Richfield, General Motors, Prudential and Kraft Foods — which contributed about $5 million each in initial funding for the project, according to Ford Library records. Adjusted for inflation, that would cost about $20 million.

But historians and observers say Freedom 250 raises a different set of concerns because of the outreach, murky funding and the level of celebration built around Trump.

“There’s America250 for everybody, and then there’s this little shadowy organization [Freedom 250] doing Trump rallies and things for Trump supporters,” Dallek said. The draft, he added, “doesn’t play much of the idea of ​​unity.”

The America250 publicly lists a number of sponsors. Freedom 250 has called certain supporters “strategic partners.” And the president of the National Park Foundation told Congress that donors who asked not to be identified would not be identified, according to congressional Democrats.

That lack of visibility is another part of the appeal, say corporate political advisers.

“Companies are building fences,” Freed said. “They want a safe patriotic name for America250, but they also don’t want to be absent from a president-elect celebration.”

The blurred lines extend beyond corporate funding.

According to NASA staff sources and materials reviewed by CNBC, a department-wide NASA email sent in June encouraged employees to shop for the Freedom 250. The link was traced to the Trump campaign website, according to those sources.

The anniversary release was also plagued with problems on the ground.

The Great American State Fair on the National Mall was billed as the centerpiece of the 16-day festival. But at least eight states, mostly led by Democratic governors, have declined to officially participate, citing the show’s $100,000 to $1 million cost and concerns about the tone of the event.

The show has also experienced crowds, power outages, a Ferris wheel that is slowly breaking down and a model victory that has begun to pile up, according to media reports.

Several artists, including Martina McBride, Young MC, Commodores and Bret Michaels, dropped out after being announced or associated with the Freedom 250 events. Others said they were misled about the bias of the celebration.

Trump responded by suggesting in a Public Truth post that the concerts be replaced with “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AND UNITY” and later went on the headlines about the opening of the show himself.