Trump's July 4 plans face an unexpected challenge as organizers of Freedom 250 events in Washington scramble to deal with extreme heat while Americans prepare to celebrate the country's 250th birthday this holiday weekend.
Some 200,000 people have attended the Great American State Fair and FIFA Fan Fest so far, a Freedom 250 spokesperson said.
Extreme heat has forced changes to National Mall event plans, and President Trump is headed to South Dakota late Friday and expected to make remarks at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
An analysis found 14 companies backing both America250 and Freedom 250, listing Boeing, Deloitte, Exiger, John Deere, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Oracle, Palantir, Phorm Energy, RTX SAP, Scotts Miracle-Gro, UFC and United Airlines among those named as sponsors of some anniversary activities.
Watchdogs and ethics experts warned that the sponsorship structure can offer companies a way to seek access to the president. Bruce Freed, president and co-founder of the Center for Political Accountability, said, "The concern is not that companies are sponsoring a national celebration. The concern is that this celebration appears to offer access to the president while some of those companies have business before his administration."
Fundraising materials described tiered sponsorship benefits, offering donors giving at least $500,000 VIP access, invitations and preferred seating; $1 million donations an invitation to a private "thank you" reception hosted by the president and a photo opportunity; $2.5 million donors speaking roles at a July 4 event in Washington; and $10 million or more VIP access to all Freedom 250 events, logo rights, a tailored press release, a July 4 speaking role and a private Trump-hosted reception with a photo opportunity. Matt Dallek, a political historian at George Washington University, said, "For a million bucks, you get a meet and greet with the president, and what we've seen is when you get in the room with Donald Trump, it tends to be very beneficial for your business."
Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee released a report criticizing the president and Freedom 250, accusing the effort of diverting funds and misleading sponsors.
The Great American State Fair, billed as a 16-day centerpiece of the celebration, has faced problems: at least eight states, most led by Democratic governors, declined to participate officially citing exhibit costs and concerns about the event's partisan tone, and media reports described sparse crowds, power outages, an intermittently broken Ferris wheel and a model triumphal arch whose covering had begun to buckle.
Several artists including Martina McBride, Young MC, the Commodores and Bret Michaels pulled out after being announced or associated with Freedom 250 events, with some performers saying they had been misled about the partisan nature of the celebration. Trump responded by suggesting in a Truth Social post that the concerts be replaced with a "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY" and later moved to headline the fair's opening himself.
Freedom 250 has staged events beyond the Mall lineup, including a UFC event on June 14 on the White House South Lawn and a prayer event called Rededicate 250 on the National Mall. The organization has scheduled the Patriot Games for August and a Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, a free IndyCar event, for Aug. 22-23; the Great American State Fair will also include rodeo events.
Financial questions have followed the anniversary planning: Congress set aside $150 million for the semiquincentennial, but America250 had received only $25 million as of early June while the Trump-aligned effort received nearly $80 million in 250th-related grants to the National Park Foundation. America250 has told Congress it is suffering a $100 million "funding shortfall," saying it had received only $25 million of the $100 million Congress had planned to give it.
Internal materials and employee sources said a department-wide NASA email sent in June encouraged employees to shop the Freedom 250 store, and that the link resolved to the Trump campaign website.