President Donald Trump’s ambassadors are begging companies around the globe to fund celebrations for America’s 250th birthday this year, a new report reveals.
U.S. diplomats at various foreign outposts — including in Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore — have sought to rake in tens of millions of dollars for the anniversary extravaganza.
“I think there is a competitive environment between some of the ambassadors right now of who can raise the most,” Ted Osius, a former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, told The New York Times.
America’s semiquincentennial arrives on July 4, 2026, but celebrations will span an entire year, kicking off on Memorial Day. Federal agencies and private partners have collaborated to plan and finance the events, according to the White House. As part of the celebrations, a UFC event will be held on the White House lawn, and Trump has proposed constructing a victory arch near the Potomac River.
In February, Anjani Sinha, the U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, told executives over a five-course meal, “I need your money,” according to a recording obtained by the Times. He noted that the funds would go towards a Rockefeller tree lighting and an American rodeo.
The dinner was held so that Sinha could “share his vision” for the 250th anniversary with executives from Citibank, Harley-Davison, Coinbase and other firms. The ambassador said that another embassy in Asia had raised $37 million — and he enjoined the audience to help him surpass that figure.
“Singapore is a better country than that,” he said, according to the outlet. “There are better people here making more money.”
George Glass, the American ambassador to Japan, also wrote a letter to potential donors, asking for “significant financial support for Mission Japan’s America 250 celebrations.”
“President Trump has tasked me with ensuring this celebration in Japan is the greatest celebration in the world outside of the United States,” he wrote, according to the report.
Meanwhile, the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong has distributed “America 250” forms to companies in the region, asking for donations.
When asked for comment, a State Department spokesperson told the Times that the department has policies in place that “cover fund-raising and accepting donations” for the 250th anniversary. Donations would be put towards a multitude of events and programs, the official said.
The Times noted that, historically, American embassies have relied on private donations to help pay for Fourth of July parties at embassies.
However, this year’s fundraising has been much more “aggressive.”
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