President Trump’s plans for America’s 250th anniversary have sparked controversy, with some critics saying his takeover of the celebrations has made them too partisan. The left-leaning group Next250 has reframed its commemoration in response to Trump’s actions, planning a communal festival in Washington, DC, featuring an indigenous opening ceremony, a march, and voter registration booths.

Freedom 250 and America250

Trump’s new nonprofit, Freedom 250, has been criticized for its lack of transparency and potential conflicts of interest. The organization has taken steps to brand itself as the nonpartisan group leading the celebration of America’s birthday, putting it in competition with America250 for the national spotlight, sponsors, and taxpayer funds.

Freedom 250 has listed about two dozen sponsors on its website, including Palantir, Lockheed Martin, and Oracle, which have large federal contracts to provide data and defense services. Others, like Ultimate Fighting Championship and Penske Corp., are led by Trump allies Dana White and Roger Penske.

The organization has also organized events such as a Christianity-focused prayer event on the National Mall and the Patriot Games, a youth athletic contest where two teenage victors will split a $250,000 prize.

Concerns Over Partisanship

Critics have raised concerns that Trump’s involvement in the celebrations has made them too partisan. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, a Democrat on the America250 commission, said that Freedom 250 serves the president, his politics, his donors, and his vanity projects, rather than the country.

Next250 organizer Linda Sarsour said that the group’s counterprogram is meant to say, ‘We’re all in this together, and this country belongs to all of us.’ The event will feature a march starting at what was once called Black Lives Matter Plaza and voter registration booths.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.