Trumps Freedom 250 Seeks Consent For Donation Emails During Free Tickets Sign Up Claims Mistake Later

Americans signing up for free tickets to the launch of President Donald Trump's Freedom 250 celebrations were initially asked to consent to receiving donation requests through a Trump-linked registration system.

Freedom 250 has since said the fundraising language was included by mistake and has been removed.

On June 24, the "America is Back" kickoff event took place on Washington's National Mall. The celebration marked the opening of the Great American State Fair, one of several Freedom 250 events commemorating the United States' 250th anniversary. President Trump headlined the evening with a speech, while military bands and Air Force flyovers accompanied the festivities.

According to USA TODAY, the RSVP link for the event's ticketing page directed attendees to a Trump-branded registration link, 45.donaldjtrump.com, and required registrants opting into text messages to consent to alerts, donation requests and other communications. Users also had to provide a cellphone number despite the page describing it as optional.

The Freedom 250 website asked prospective attendees to register through a 45.donaldjtrump.com link.

The registration page for the June 24 kickoff event further asked attendees to provide an email address and an optional cellphone number to claim free tickets. It also included an opt-in box requesting consent to receive recurring SMS and MMS messages containing alerts, donation requests and other updates.

USA TODAY reported that the registration process was managed through Campaign Nucleus, a political technology company founded by former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale. The publication also found that the registration link led to a WinRed fundraising page associated with NeverSurrender Inc., Trump's principal political fundraising committee.

Campaign finance and ethics experts told USA TODAY that the collection of attendee information raised concerns because cellphone numbers and email addresses are valuable political fundraising tools.

Critics questioned whether information gathered through taxpayer-supported public events could ultimately benefit partisan political operations.

Lisa Gilbert, co-president of watchdog group Public Citizen, said participants should fully understand how their personal information is collected and used before providing consent.

Gilbert said, “Information capture must be voluntary and well-understood. And as unsavory as it is that Trump is turning our nation’s birthday into a GOP-only celebration, it adds a layer to forcibly capture data and wrap it into the MAGA fundraising machine.”

Former Interior Department associate solicitor Tony Irish also questioned whether government-supported events should be linked to political fundraising infrastructure if public resources are involved.

“Any use of government money, time or resources to fundraise or influence elections is unlawful,” Irish said.

Freedom 250 spokesperson Rachel Reisner acknowledged that vendor-supplied text message language referenced fundraising during registration but said it did not reflect how the system actually operates.

"We were made aware that some standard vendor-provided consent language related to opting in for SMS messages referenced fundraising," Reisner told USA TODAY. She added that the wording was quickly corrected and that text messages are limited to event logistics and updates.

When asked why registrants were directed to the "45.donaldjtrump.com" website, Reisner said a vendor had used a link shortener in its text messaging system. She said the vendor was not hosting the events.

However, USA TODAY reported that the link redirected users to WinRed.

Communications director Danielle Alvarez also said Freedom 250 does not sell, rent or share attendee information with Trump-affiliated political entities. She said data collected through RSVPs is used solely to send logistical updates and important event information.

After the language was removed, registration pages for upcoming Freedom 250 events no longer referenced donation requests. The revised forms describe text messages as providing alerts, updates and event information. They also state that SMS information is not rented, sold or shared.

Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More