Freedom 250 LLC, the entity behind many of President Trump's 250th-anniversary celebrations, publicly lists its sponsors but does not disclose how much they paid. New federal lobbying reports filed this week are now providing the first look at some of those contributions, revealing multimillion-dollar payments made by Chevron, RTX and United Airlines.
Chevron disclosed contributing $5 million to Freedom 250, United Airlines reported a $2.5 million contribution, and RTX disclosed giving $1.5 million. The reports, which were due by July 30, are the first public records documenting what at least some Freedom 250 sponsors paid to back the effort. The disclosures were required because the companies are registered federal lobbying organizations and must report certain expenditures involving covered federal officials.
The disclosures come amid new revelations about Trump's corporate fundraising operations. A Wall Street Journal investigation published this week found that Trump has personally overseen an effort that has taken in more than $800 million from corporations since returning to office. The Journal reported that Trump regularly calls his chief fundraiser to ask how much specific companies have given, while much of the money flows through entities that generally are not required to disclose their donors or contribution amounts, including Freedom 250 LLC, the nonprofit behind Trump's proposed White House ballroom, and the political “dark money” group Securing American Greatness.
