GoKawiilWASHINGTON — On the National Mall this week, Freedom 250 signs pointed visitors toward temporary state pavilions, a Ferris wheel and mobile, transitory history exhibits. Sponsor names appeared beside Trump-aligned programming. Some states were represented by official delegations. Others had opted out, leaving replacement displays or stripped-down booths in their place.
As the country prepares to mark its semiquincentennial, or 250th birthday, the splashiest celebrations in Washington are being shaped by corporate money.
A CNBC analysis found 14 companies backing both America250, the nonprofit supporting the congressionally created U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, and Freedom 250, the Trump-backed public-private partnership behind some of the administration's most visible anniversary events.
The companies listed online as backing both are: Boeing , Deloitte, Exiger, John Deere , Lockheed Martin , Northrop Grumman , Oracle , Palantir , Phorm Energy, RTX SAP , Scotts Miracle-Gro , UFC and United Airlines .
Of those companies, only John Deere responded to a CNBC request for comment, but it did not address specific questions about its sponsorship of both organizations. John Deere said it was eager to celebrate the people whose work helped "build power, feed and sustain" the U.S.
Several of those companies have major business before the federal government, including defense contracts, technology contracts, regulatory interests, merger considerations, tax issues and other policy matters shaped by the Trump administration.
CNBC did not find any evidence of a connection between the Freedom 250 sponsorships and the companies' dealings with the administration.
But it's another example of the complex intersection of corporate America and politics under a president who's been increasingly close with companies.
Watchdogs and ethics experts have said the structure gives companies with business before the administration a new way to seek access to President Donald Trump, with much of the money hidden from public view.
"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," said Bruce Freed, the president and co-founder of the Center for Political Accountability that advises companies on political spending.
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