250th Anniversary Celebrations Corrupted by Corporate Influence, Grift
Public Citizen News / Sept-Oct 2026
By Alan Zibel
This article appeared in the Sept/Oct 2026 edition of Public Citizen News. Download the full edition here.
Only Donald Trump could turn the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations into a shameful scandal.
Over the summer, Public Citizen has been aggressively watchdogging the Trump administration’s opportunistic seizing of the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence to court corporate influence and feed his own ego.
“The 250th anniversary of the country should be a moment to reflect on the values of the nation and learn about our shared history,” said Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert. “Instead, the Trump administration has replaced American values with grift, self-dealing, and lionizing the president himself.”
First, there was “Rededicate 250,” a Christian prayer event on the National Mall attended almost exclusively by Christian faith leaders, where speakers stood before a massive cross. One speaker asserted, “If being a Christian nationalist means loving Jesus Christ and loving America, count me in!”
Then there was the Ultimate Fighting Championship cage match on the White House lawn, followed by the Great American State Fair, a widely derided, sparsely attended gathering on the Mall where states promoted their tourism, and tourists sweated in the summer heat.
Then Trump commandeered and politicized the annual Fourth of July fireworks, claiming in a late-night speech that he “wasn’t treated that well” by the legal system and warning of the supposed danger of communism. This exhausting series of events finally concluded with an Aug. 23 IndyCar race through the streets of Washington, D.C.
Public Citizen and allies have dug deep into the administration’s abuse of taxpayer funds to stage these events, as well as into the corporations seeking to curry favor with Trump. Freedom 250 received financial support from a host of large corporations, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Oracle, and others. Some corporations disclosed their donations to Freedom 250, including Chevron ($5 million), United Airlines ($2.5 million), and defense contractor RTX Corp. ($1.5 million).
How did this mess come about? After an unsuccessful attempt to take over the bipartisan, congressionally authorized America 250 nonprofit, the Trump administration bypassed the entity and created a new, opaque organization known as Freedom 250.
The existence of dueling organizing bodies—Freedom 250 and America 250—led to a feverish competition for private donations and corporate sponsors. The Wall Street Journal reported that the competition between the two highly similar organizations “confused corporate executives, many of whom were unaware of the parallel organization raising money for Trump’s own celebration.”
Top Trump officials – including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Trump’s former campaign manager Chris LaCivita, and Meredith O’Rourke, Trump’s former presidential campaign finance director – have been closely involved in the 250th anniversary festivities. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has been personally involved in the fundraising operation, regularly asking O’Rourke which companies and individual donors have made contributions and pushing for larger donations.
In a report titled “MAGA 250,” Public Citizen and the Revolving Door Project documented more than $100 million in taxpayer-funded contracts and grants directed to the Freedom 250 network and other politically connected entities. The report found that of the $126 million in grants awarded to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, over 80% went to build out a politicized series of events at the public’s expense.
If Democrats take control of the House of Representatives next year, lawmakers are likely to scrutinize these events.
Over the summer, Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee issued a report with potentially explosive findings. Their report alleged that donors seeking to support the original, bipartisan America 250 celebration were instead steered to the Trump-backed Freedom 250 initiative through misleading fundraising tactics — a potential violation of the law. The report also found extensive involvement by former Trump campaign operatives in organizing the 250th-anniversary celebrations.
“It should surprise no one that Donald Trump has turned the nation’s 250th anniversary into a scam on America,” Public Citizen Co-president Robert Weissman said. “Now come allegations that private donors who intended to support America 250 were tricked into contributing instead to the partisan Freedom 250. Americans deserve a thorough investigation of whether this alleged deceit rises to the level of unlawful or criminal wrongdoing.”