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 The nighttime event featured military bands and Air Force planes flying overhead, and a campaign-style speech by Trump attacking Democrats and praising his own accomplishments.

It was the first in a series of celebratory Freedom 250 events, all featuring appearances by Trump, include a July 3 pre-Independence Day speech and celebration at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, an Aug. 23 Freedom 250 Grand Prix IndyCar race in Washington and past events including a UFC Freedom 250 cage-fighting event June 14.


Those events already have faced criticism that Trump and his allies have transformed what was initially intended to be a bipartisan and non-political commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary – led by a group established by Congress – into a politically branded event closely aligned with the president.

But collecting personal data from event attendees, obtaining their consent to receive fundraising requests – and sending them to a Trump-linked fundraising site – raises additional concerns about whether Trump and his allies might use Freedom 250 events for partisan gain, legal experts told USA TODAY.