Trump Hijacked America’s 250th Birthday. Corporate America Helped.

Now that the UFC Freedom 250 fight event that defiled the White House lawn is over, next up is a Freedom 250 Trump rally on June 24 on the National Mall.

Freedom 250 is the White House hijack of the official celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The official nonpartisan group America250 was formed by a bipartisan congressional committee that was established in 2016.

Trump announced he would pinch hit at the Freedom 250 Great American State Fair after musicians dropped out, some saying they were misled to believe Freedom 250 was nonpartisan. Trump posted on his Truth Social, saying  he would headline at the Freedom 250 “Rally to end all Rallies” on June 24.

At least seven states have declined to participate in Trump’s Freedom 250 Great American State Fair. A spokesperson for the state of Oregon said there were also “growing concerns that the event in Washington, D.C., is shaping up to be a more partisan affair than originally presented.”

Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA) torched Republicans in remarks about Trump’s Freedom 250 in February, saying: “And you, his little Duma, let him hijack the country’s 250th anniversary, and sell access, hide his donors, and rewrite history. They siphoned off $100 million of taxpayer money to bankroll propaganda, as the administration replaces the real story of our history with a whitewashed fantasy. The horror of slavery, the Native American genocide, all that is out. Censorship and gauzy Christian nationalism, written by Prager U, is in.”

Freedom 250 White Christian Nationalism

Trump’s Freedom 250 celebrations kicked off in May with Rededicate 250, a Christian nationalist event on the National Mall, proffering a debunked narrative about America’s founding as a white Christian nation. “Historical hogwash,” Matthew D. Taylor, visiting scholar at Georgetown University, told me. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth headlined the Freedom 250 | Rededicate 250 event. Hegseth posted a promotional video for the Christian nationalist  event, saying “we are a nation under one flag and one God,” and that “our rights don’t come from government, they come from God.” 

Last year, Pete Hegseth boosted a video on X of Christian nationalist extremist pastor Doug Wilson — who said women shouldn’t be allowed to vote. The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1920 granting women’s right to vote. Earlier this year, Hegseth invited Wilson, who calls for Christian theocracy, to the Pentagon to lead a prayer service.

Several professors of law told me that the Freedom 250 | Rededicate 250 event was unconstitutional. Garrett Epps, Professor of Practice at the University Oregon School of Law, told me in an interview:

“The one thing the framers of the Constitution did not want was a federal government in Washington telling people what they had to believe. That has been unconstitutional since the framing of the Bill of Rights. It’s just the same as if the federal government, President Trump, were to proclaim that this year we’re going to celebrate the 250th anniversary of white supremacy. I can’t go to court and make the president not say that. But what I can say is it’s a gross violation of the Constitution.”

Corporate sponsors of Trump’s Freedom 250 are silent

Corporate sponsors of Trump’s Freedom 250 include several consumer-facing giants like  Mastercard and United Airlines.

The New York Times reported a pay-to-play scheme surrounding Trump’s Freedom 250 in February. 11 U.S. senators led by Sen. Adam Schiff launched an investigation into Trump’s Freedom 250 in March, demanding the White House and Interior Department answer questions about diversion of $100 million in taxpayer dollars and the alleged pay-to-play scheme.

Watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) has sued the Trump administration over its refusal to release documents surrounding Freedom 250 funding, including diverting $100 million in taxpayer dollars and selling access to Trump.

CNN Dana Bash pressed Interior Secretary Burgum on disclosing Freedom 250 donors in May. He dodged her questions.

About corporate sponsors, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) reported: “Many of the companies sponsoring Freedom 250 have business before the government or significant government contracts, including United Airlines, Palantir, Deloitte and Lockheed Martin.”

The CEO of pharma giant Eli Lilly Dave Ricks posted a video on LinkedIn last week saying Lilly is a “proud participant” in Trump’s Freedom 250. A spokesperson from Lilly messaged me over the weekend saying, “Lilly is not a sponsor of Freedom 250 and there is no financial tie.” Lilly did not provide any details about its “participant” agreement with Freedom 250.

But in notable timing, Lilly’s CEO posted the Freedom 250 “proud participant” video a day after the company announced that the FDA had approved a new dosing option for one of its most popular drugs.

Other CEOs who posted videos on LinkedIn declaring their companies’ proud participation in Trump’s Freedom 250 are from defense contractor Northrop Grumman and trading technology company Nasdaq and the NYSE.

Mining giant The Mosaic Company is a newly listed sponsor of Trump’s Freedom 250. The Tampa Bay Times reported in March: “Mining giant Mosaic seeks federal approval to expand its waste pile near Tampa Bay.”

A deep dive by Public Citizen revealed that the Trump administration has awarded nearly $103 million in federal contracts and grants for Freedom 250 celebrations “to a network of politicized entities under the control of Trump administration officials and political allies.”

The Wall Street Journal reported in April that corporate executives may have been “confused” by Freedom 250, Trump’s hijack of America’s birthday celebration. 

The Trump administration’s war on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) –war on Black and brown people, LGBTQ+ persons, and women – has been vicious and relentless. How corporate sponsors of Freedom 250 reconcile their commitments to inclusion and belonging is unknown. 

Trump’s record of retribution against his perceived enemies is well trod. Corporate leaders  likely operate  in fear of the president’s vindictive actions; their willingness to accede to Trump’s will resembles a hostage situation. So not surprisingly, no one from Freedom 250 sponsors Deloitte, Mastercard, SAP, Scotts Miracle-Gro, UnitedHealth Group or United Airlines has responded to multiple inquiries.

Participating Partners (as of 6.15.26)

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