Freedom 250 group providing entry to Trump for donations, report says | EUROtoday

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

Freedom 250, a public-private partnership that launched final 12 months and can assist execute the celebrations, is soliciting donations and providing “bespoke packages” to donors, The New York Times studies.

The newspaper obtained a breakdown of the packages being circulated by fundraisers, which consist of 5 tiers.

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

The lowest sponsorship bundle begins at $500,000 to $999,999, which doesn’t embrace entry to Trump, however gives “VIP access, invitations and preferred seating at all Freedom 250 events.”

In addition to entry to Trump, donors who give $2,500,000 or extra shall be provided a “VIP speaking role” on the 4th of July celebration.

The costliest sponsorship bundle is priced at $10,000,000 or extra.

“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 occasions being deliberate by Freedom 250 are tailor-made to the president’s “political agenda and his penchant for spectacle, personal branding and legacy,” the Times famous. Planned occasions embrace a UFC match on the White House garden and an IndyCar race via Washington, D.C.

Trump has additionally unveiled plans for an “Independence Arch” to soar 250 ft tall, greater than twice the peak of the Lincoln Memorial and towering over the White House.

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

The Independent has contacted the White House for additional remark.

The means through which Trump and his allies have gone about fundraising for the 250th celebrations is harking back to how the president attracted donors for his $400 million White House ballroom. Large firms with authorities contracts or enterprise issues earlier than the federal authorities are among the many ballroom’s main donors, together with Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.

Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, who sits on the bipartisan America250 fee, instructed 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 additionally expressed unease that a number of the occasions being deliberate by Freedom 250 would overshadow the efforts of America250 and be extra about “glorifying” the president than marking the anniversary itself, in accordance with the Times.

“People need to understand that there’s a dual track going on here,” Watson Coleman instructed 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, stated the group welcomed that Freedom 250 was offering “a clear funding mechanism” and it might give “the American people more ways they can celebrate America’s 250th birthday.”