To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Donald Trump has promised the July 4 fireworks display in Washington will be the largest in world history. There will be a parade, a 17-plane flyover, and a “spectacular Trump rally” featuring a lengthy speech by the president. The private company producing these festivities, Event Strategies Inc., is no stranger to massive gatherings on the National Mall. Five years ago, the same firm helped organize Trump’s January 6, 2021, rally at the Ellipse, which preceded that day’s attack on the US Capitol.

Since Trump returned to the White House, Event Strategies, sometimes known as ESI, has received tens of millions of dollars in federal contracts from government agencies to organize anniversary events, often without completive bidding. The company also has a large contract with Freedom 250—a semi-private entity that receives public funding. Working under Freedom 250, Event Strategies is managing events including the July 4 rally, the ongoing Great American State Fair, the “Rededicate 250” prayer event on the National Mall, and other gatherings.

“This is typical behavior from the Trump administration, where everyone feels they have license to do sleazy self-dealing.”

Event Strategies won those contracts while one of its partners, Justin Caporale, holds a second position. Trump in late 2024 announced that Caporale would work for his “external operation” as “Executive Producer for Major Events and Public Appearances.” In practice, that means that Caporale is Trump’s “events guy,” a person familiar with White House arrangements for the anniversary said. Caporale helps Trump plan 250th anniversary celebrations and other public events, often attending meetings in the White House, the person said. His work has reportedly involved drafting budgets for anniversary spending.

Caporale is not a government employee. But his advisory role for the president’s “external operation” means he has helped to plan the same Freedom 250 festivities that the administration is paying Event Strategies—Caporale’s private firm—to carry out. Government contractors often advise federal agencies, but it is highly unusual, at least until now, for them to have regular presidential access, and to wield influence over decisions that could affect their own bottom line.

“He’s practically writing his own paychecks,” said California Rep. Jared Huffman, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee.

Caporale and Event Strategies haven’t been accused of breaking any laws. But critics argue that the set-up is vulnerable to abuse at a time when the president and his allies are routinely profiting from government power.

“It is clear that such a backdoor arrangement for White House advisory personnel creates the opportunity for the appearance of impropriety, the avoidance of which is a bedrock principle of all federal ethics law,” said Toni Aguilar Rosenthal, a program director at the Revolving Door Project, a nonprofit group.

“It’s just unethical,” said Craig Holman of the watchdog group Public Citizen. “This is typical behavior from the Trump administration, where everyone feels they have license to do sleazy self-dealing.”

Caporale did not respond to inquiries. The White House press office has previously said that the White House had no role in federal agencies awarding contracts to Event Strategies. But the White House did not respond to questions from Mother Jones about what exactly Caporale’s events work for Trump entails, or whether he influenced Freedom 250’s hiring of Event Strategies under its separate contract........

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