President Trump’s military parade this weekend is expected to be a costly display of pomp and circumstance – and it’s being bankrolled by some major Big Tech giants.
Oracle, Lockheed Martin, Palantir, Coinbase and Amazon have recently donated to America250, the nonprofit raising funds for the nation’s semiquincentennial anniversary, the organization said.
“Many of these sponsors will support the upcoming grand military parade being held in Washington, DC, on Saturday, June 14, to celebrate the US Army’s 250th birthday,” America250 said in a press release this week.
Oracle confirmed it is sponsoring Saturday’s parade, as did Exiger, an AI-powered supply chain management company, and Lockheed Martin, which called it a “momentous occasion.”
Palantir, Coinbase and Amazon did not respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
The nonprofit has listed several other sponsors on its website, including Coca-Cola; Phorm Energy, an energy drink from Anheuser-Busch; Scott’s Miracle Gro; and Stellantis auto brands Chrysler, Jeep, Ram and Dodge.
The parade marks 250 years since the Continental Army was formed to take on the British – but it’s faced substantial heat from critics who argue it’s an over-the-top party for Trump’s 79th birthday, which also falls on Saturday.
With flyovers, fireworks, rows of tanks and military bands, it’s expected to cost tens of millions of dollars, which Trump dismissed as “peanuts compared to the value of doing it.”
Several America250 sponsors appeared to distance themselves from the parade, instead focusing on next year’s events celebrating 250 years of US independence.
FedEx confirmed it is sponsoring America250’s other events. A source close to the matter told The Post this does not include Saturday’s parade.
Walmart donated a whopping $500,000 to America250, but clarified those funds are not backing the parade.
“This funding will support the US Army’s National Museum Revolutionary War Exhibit and celebrations honoring youth who have signed up to serve in the Navy and Marine Corps,” a Walmart spokesperson told The Post.
“While we are not sponsors of the Army’s parade, we are providing water for attendees.”
Meta was listed as a sponsor in an America250 press release in May, though the Facebook owner confirmed it cut ties with the nonprofit in 2022.
“While we are not currently a sponsor, we have had a historical relationship with America250, and we are actively exploring potential partnership opportunities with them in the future,” a Meta spokesperson told The Post.
That same year, four female employees at the nonprofit filed a lawsuit alleging “cronyism, self-dealing, mismanagement of funds, potentially unlawful contracting practices and wasteful spending,” as well as a toxic, sexist work environment.
One of the plaintiffs said she expressed concerns about a “potentially unlawful quid-pro-quio” in which Meta would give a $10 million donation in exchange for rights to map national parks with drones for its “own business purposes,” the Washington Post reported at the time.
The plaintiffs settled with America250 in 2024, according to court filings.
The nonprofit did not respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
A spokesperson for Meta declined to comment on the allegations in the suit and did not respond to an inquiry about whether a donation was made to America250 before the contract was killed.
America250 was created as a bipartisan initiative by Congress after the passage of the US Semiquincentennial Commission Act of 2016.
Its members include Attorney General Pam Bondi, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as Republican and Democratic senators – including Sen. Alex Padilla (D – Calif.), who was recently removed and handcuffed after interrupting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press briefing.
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