Saturday’s military parade in Washington celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army was sponsored by at least four brands that have strong financial and political ties to President Trump, raising questions about whether the event benefited his allies and supporters.
Attendees who sought relief from the sweltering heat on the National Mall found free cans of a new energy drink brand sponsored by Dana White, who is the chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and one of Mr. Trump’s staunchest allies.
Palantir, the data analysis and technology firm whose contracts with the federal government are expanding, and Coinbase, a cryptocurrency firm that donated to the president’s inauguration, also sponsored the event. Oracle, a database company whose co-founder is a close friend of Mr. Trump’s, received a shout-out on Saturday as a sponsor.
U.F.C. was mentioned as a sponsor during the military procession and on the event’s website, but its spokesman said in an email statement that the company was not a corporate sponsor and that Mr. White had supported the program in his personal capacity.
Federal regulations prohibit the use of public office for the private gain of officeholders or their friends, relatives or nongovernmental affiliates, said Richard W. Painter, who served as the chief ethics lawyer in the White House Counsel’s Office under President George W. Bush.
“The parade is being used for advertising by these entities with close business ties to the president,” Mr. Painter said in an interview. “You’re in a situation where the U.S. government has been used to endorse a product.”
If he had been Mr. Trump’s chief ethics lawyer, he added, he would have not wanted the sponsorships at all. Such an arrangement would be acceptable only if the companies were to pay for the entire event, Mr. Painter said, allowing the government to host the celebration without paying any tax dollars. The military parade was estimated to cost up to $45 million.
The White House did not respond to a question about how much Mr. Trump’s allies had paid to advertise their products and services but directed the inquiry to America250, the commission that hosted Saturday’s events. America250 did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The White House suggested that The New York Times was insulting the Army through its reporting.
“While The New York Times was pining to insult the Army’s historic parade that honored 250 years of military history, President Trump was proud to celebrate our men and women who have fought and died for our country,” Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement.
Mr. White has maintained a 20-year friendship with Mr. Trump and embraced him even after he left the White House in 2021 after instigating a riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6. He also donated to Mr. Trump’s campaign in 2020.
Mr. White’s lucrative entertainment company is valued at billions of dollars and wields considerable influence among Trump supporters. It had benefited from ties to the president in the past, when Mr. Trump encouraged his supporters to give Bud Light, an Anheuser-Busch beer, a “second chance” after the brand faced attacks from right-wing figures for airing an advertisement featuring a transgender influencer.
This January, Mr. White partnered with Anheuser-Busch to market Phorm, a new energy drink. Anheuser-Busch donated $1 million to Mr. Trump’s inauguration.
Palantir, Oracle and Coinbase were announced as additional sponsors of the event later in the evening, as Army battalions marched along Constitution Avenue in Washington. The chief executive of Palantir donated $1 million to Mr. Trump’s inauguration in January. The Trump administration has expanded Palantir’s work with the government, spreading the company’s technology to compile data on U.S. residents.
Palantir said in an emailed statement on Sunday that the company “proudly supported yesterday’s celebration of the Army’s” 250th anniversary “alongside some of America’s greatest companies.” The president of Coinbase, Emilie Choi, also thanked the Army in a statement, saying the company was “proud” to celebrate the military’s “dedication, sacrifice and service.”
A co-founder of Oracle, Larry Ellison, enjoys proximity to Mr. Trump. In January, Mr. Ellison was prominently featured at the White House for the announcement of a project called Stargate, which will build A.I. data centers. When Mr. Trump was asked whether Elon Musk might buy TikTok, he volunteered that “I’d like Larry to buy it, too.”
Oracle and Mr. Ellison did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Coinbase also donated $1 million to the inauguration, and the Securities and Exchange Commission dropped a lawsuit against the company the next month.
An investor in crypto himself, Mr. Trump signed an executive order in March calling for the creation of a national crypto reserve — a government stockpile that would contain Bitcoin and other digital currencies. In Congress, some of his allies have flocked to throw support behind the GENIUS Act, which would pave the way for businesses to issue stablecoins, a digital currency designed to maintain a price of $1.
Other companies and brands that sponsored America250 include Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Coca-Cola, Walmart, BNY, Goldman Sachs and Exiger. Lockheed Martin and ScottsMiracle-Gro also received shout-outs during the military procession.
Goldman Sachs, the investment banking group, and Lockheed Martin, the weapons manufacturer, each donated $1 million to Mr. Trump’s inauguration.
Norman Eisen, who was a White House ethics official under President Barack Obama, said that the optics of the Trump administration’s tech and crypto sponsorships were “unsavory” and that they raise “the specter” of special treatment because Trump officials are heavily involved in regulating these industries.
“Allowing these entities to sponsor a military parade that seemingly serves to gain them access to and the favor of the president,” he added, “smacks of the abuse of public office for private gain.”
Minho Kim covers breaking news and climate change for The Times. He is based in Washington.
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