Freedom 250 group offering access to Trump for donations, report says

The group organizing the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary is offering access to President Donald Trump to donors who give $1m or more.

Freedom 250, a public-private partnership that launched last year and will help execute the celebrations, is soliciting donations and offering “bespoke packages” to donors, The New York Times reports.

The newspaper obtained a breakdown of the packages being circulated by fundraisers, which consist of five tiers.

Donors who give $1m or more — the “Patriot Sponsor” tier — will receive an “invitation to a private Freedom 250 thank you reception hosted by President Donald J. Trump, with a historic photo opportunity.”

The lowest sponsorship package begins at $500,000 to $999,999, which does not include access to Trump, but offers “VIP access, invitations and preferred seating at all Freedom 250 events.”

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In addition to access to Trump, donors who give $2,500,000 or more will be offered a “VIP speaking role” at the 4th of July celebration.

The most expensive sponsorship package is priced at $10,000,000 or more.

“By becoming a sponsor, your organization will play a vital role in a nationwide commemoration - one that honors our nation's history, recognizes the contributions of Americans from all walks of life, and looks ahead to the future we're building for the next generation and beyond,” the sponsorship introduction reads.

The events being planned by Freedom 250 are tailored to the president’s “political agenda and his penchant for spectacle, personal branding and legacy,” the Times noted. Planned events include a UFC match on the White House lawn and an IndyCar race through Washington, D.C.

Trump has also unveiled plans for an “Independence Arch” to soar 250 feet tall, more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial and towering over the White House.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the Times that the president was “ensuring that America gets the spectacular birthday it deserves,” while a spokesperson for Freedom 250 told the newspaper that the president “can’t be bought by anyone.”

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The Independent has contacted the White House for further comment.

The way in which Trump and his allies have gone about fundraising for the 250th celebrations is reminiscent of how the president attracted donors for his $400 million White House ballroom. Large corporations with government contracts or business concerns before the federal government are among the ballroom’s major donors, including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.

Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, who sits on the bipartisan America250 commission, told the Times that she was “concerned that taxpayer money allotted by Congress for the celebration would be steered by the Trump administration to Freedom 250.”

Watson Coleman also expressed unease that some of the events being planned by Freedom 250 would overshadow the efforts of America250 and be more about “glorifying” the president than marking the anniversary itself, according to the Times.

“People need to understand that there’s a dual track going on here,” Watson Coleman told the newspaper. “And one of the lanes of that endeavor is to get everybody’s story out, and the other is trying to showcase the president and have his ego stroked.”

Rosie Rios, chairwoman of America250, said the group welcomed that Freedom 250 was providing “a clear funding mechanism” and it would give “the American people more ways they can celebrate America’s 250th birthday.”