Trump Blasted After Turning Annual White House Easter Tradition Into Corporate Grift

President Donald Trump has sparked concerns from ethics experts after soliciting corporate sponsors for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

Potential sponsors of the April 21 event were presented with three sponsorship options ranging from $75,000 to $200,000, according to a nine-page guide reviewed by The New York Times.

The top-tier package, priced at $200,000, includes perks such as a corporate booth, logo placements, branded snacks or beverages, exclusive tickets to brunch with First Lady Melania Trump, engagement opportunities with the White House Press Corps, a private White House tour, and 150 event tickets.

The guide, created by Harbinger, an event production company founded by Republican aides in 2013, encouraged sponsors to "be a part of history" by offering financial support, activities, and giveaways, while also gaining brand visibility and national recognition.

Federal regulations prohibit government employees from using their positions for private gain, but now ethics experts argue that the White House is violating this rule.

Richard Painter, former chief ethics lawyer in the Bush administration, criticized the administration, stating that it is "clearly breaking the code" by allowing private companies to showcase their brands at an official event and directing the proceeds to a private nonprofit:

“I’m shocked that they are doing this to raise money. You can’t use the power of the United States government to favor one nonprofit over another.”

In separate remarks to CNN, he said:

“That would have been vetoed in about 30 seconds in my day. We’re not running this like a football stadium where you get all logos all over the place for kicking in money.”

As in previous years, money raised from the event will go to the White House Historical Association, a private nonprofit founded by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961. The event is primarily funded without taxpayer dollars, with the American Egg Board sponsoring thousands of eggs—though not with the kind of high-profile branding opportunities outlined in Harbinger’s guide.

It’s not unusual for a production company like Harbinger to be involved in major events. Founded by former Mitt Romney campaign staffers in 2013, the company has handled large-scale corporate and government gatherings, including Trump’s first-term Egg Rolls, March for Our Lives, media spin rooms at presidential debates, and Pope Francis’ 2015 visit to the U.S.

In previous Egg Rolls, an official involved in past planning noted that event costs were reimbursed through an agreement between the National Park Service, the American Egg Board, the White House Historical Association, and the White House. While there have been smaller partnerships with groups like NASA, the LEGO Foundation, and Disney, branding was extremely limited due to strict constraints from the White House counsel’s office. Not so anymore, apparently.

Many have criticized the Trump administration's move.

The White House has already come under fire this month for ethics concerns regarding Trump's boosting of the Tesla brand.

The Trump administration’s approach to Tesla seems to blend promotion with punishment—urging Americans to buy the cars and stock while threatening harsh penalties for vandalizing charging stations. Trump himself warned that offenders could be sent to a Salvadoran prison, calling them "terrorist thugs" in a Friday post.

This unusual level of support for Tesla has raised ethical concerns, as officials appear to be leveraging their power in ways that could benefit their own business interests. Ethics experts describe these actions as unprecedented and alarming.

Tesla’s potential gains from this administration-backed promotion would directly benefit CEO Elon Musk, who, aside from leading the company, has been given a special government role to oversee the advisory Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aimed at cutting federal services.

Further fueling concerns, Trump held a live Tesla promo on the White House’s South Lawn earlier this month, where he told reporters he would personally buy a Tesla and write Musk a check. The staged spectacle briefly boosted Tesla’s stock, though the bump didn’t last.