{"id":870,"date":"2026-07-03T09:40:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T09:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=870"},"modified":"2026-07-03T09:40:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T09:40:03","slug":"big-lobbying-spenders-are-going-all-out-at-the-great-american-state-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=870","title":{"rendered":"Big Lobbying Spenders Are Going All Out at the Great American State Fair"},"content":{"rendered":"
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K Street \u2014 the traditional Washington lobbyists redoubt \u2014 runs a mile north of the National Mall.<\/p>\n

Read more Grand Jury Indicts Former Olympian Over Reflecting Pool Damage<\/a><\/p>\n

But this week, K Street seems to stretch clear across the grassy expanse between the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol, which is hosting the Great American State Fair \u2014 the Trump-backed<\/u><\/span>, MAGA<\/u><\/span>–coded<\/u><\/span> exposition<\/u><\/span> celebrating the nation\u2019s 250th birthday.<\/p>\n

During a three-hour fairgrounds tour, NOTUS spotted the presence of dozens of corporations and special interest groups representing a who\u2019s who of influence peddlers, many with serious money behind their lobbying efforts.<\/p>\n

These companies and organizations collectively spent more than $152 million in 2025 on formal efforts to lobby the U.S. federal government, according to a NOTUS analysis of federal lobbying disclosure records and data compiled<\/u><\/span> by nonpartisan research organization OpenSecrets.<\/p>\n

Their executives and political action committees have meanwhile donated many millions of dollars more this decade to political candidates\u2019 campaigns, national party committees and super PACs.<\/p>\n

Corporate messaging hits fast at the Great American State Fair: Fairgoers entering near the Smithsonian Metro station checkpoint are immediately greeted with a walled tent adorned with \u201cAmerica Innovates\u201d banners. Inside, the air-conditioned tent had the feel of a trade show with no particularly unifying theme and certain foreign undertones.<\/p>\n

Visitors to the tent first encounter an exhibit for SAP, a German multinational business software company that spent nearly $4 million<\/u><\/span> last year through its U.S. subsidiary on federal-level lobbying. A large display features the corporate logos of a dozen companies \u2014 Visa, Xerox, IBM, Honeywell and Hershey, among others \u2014 under a statement in blue lettering: \u201cAmerica\u2019s leading companies. Powered by SAP.\u201d<\/p>\n

TikTok\u2019s exhibit is nearby.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuy small. Build big. Shop America,\u201d urges a black placard. \u201cLike what you see? It\u2019s all on TikTok Shop,\u201d reads a red sign in the shape of a price tag.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

TikTok was owned until earlier this year by Chinese company ByteDance, which retains a minority ownership stake in an American entity that now owns<\/u><\/span> TikTok\u2019s U.S. operations.<\/p>\n

During the first three months of 2026, the new TikTok company spent $620,000 to lobby the federal government \u2014 on top of more than $8 million ByteDance spent in 2025.<\/p>\n

SpaceX ($2.94 million in 2025 lobbying expenditures), Axiom Space ($570,000), and President Donald Trump\u2019s social media platform Truth Social rounded out the tent, alongside an outfit that creates custom motorcycles.<\/p>\n

In the separate \u201cMade in America\u201d tent a walk east down the National Mall, Micron ($3.94 million in 2025 lobbying spending), John Deere ($2.2 million), Biz2Credit ($200,000) each stood up booths or displays.<\/p>\n

Outside, Chime Financial, which spent $1.72 million on federal lobbying last year, offered a free cell phone charging station \u2014 and information about its partnership with Trump Accounts<\/u><\/span>, the government-backed investment program for families with newborns.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Large video boards ring the national mall with sponsorship promotions from companies that together spent well into the eight-figure range annually on federal lobbying.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat American State Fair presented by Chevron.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat America State Fair presented by ExxonMobil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defense contractors Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and GE Aerospace also had their turns in the video board rotation.<\/p>\n

So, too, did phosphate and potash mining company Mosaic ($1.31 million in 2025 lobbying) and agriculture and lawn products manufacturer ScottsMiracle-Gro ($670,000).<\/p>\n

Read more Tucker Carlson Is Starting a Third Party. Those Who\u2019ve Tried Say: Good Luck!<\/a><\/p>\n

Anheuser-Busch, which has systematically sought to win back MAGA faithful<\/u><\/span> after a financially disastrous Bud Light ad campaign in 2023, was just about everywhere at the Great American State Fair. Its suds were sold at concession stands and an \u201cAnheuser-Busch Beer Car\u201d was positioned near one of the fair\u2019s music stages.<\/p>\n

The logos of UnitedHeath, Uber, Visa and PepsiCo were also present, as was an installment by conservative, Christian educational institution Hillsdale College \u2014 it spent $140,000 last year lobbying the federal government.<\/p>\n

Other Great American State Fair promotions by Washington lobbying forces are more subtle.<\/p>\n

The small pavilion for Puerto Rico is awash in rum, with bottles of Bacardi \u2014 it spent about $500,000 on lobbying last year \u2014 and other brands beckoning from shelves that visitors aren\u2019t allowed to touch.<\/p>\n

In the Oklahoma pavilion, the National Basketball Association, NBC and Peacock logos are plastered to a pedestal topped by a gigantic Oklahoma City Thunder basketball. (NBC parent company Comcast spent nearly $12.9 million on federal lobbying in 2025.)<\/p>\n

NOTUS contacted two dozen of the corporations and organizations with the most significant exhibits or displays at the Great American State Fair. Most did not respond to questions, including why they\u2019re participating and how much money they paid to do so. Freedom 250, the Trump-backed nonprofit organization staging the fair, also did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

Those that did respond offered only general statements.<\/p>\n

SAP spokesperson Victoria Dixon said in an email that the company\u2019s partnership with Freedom 250 and America250 \u2014 a separate, bipartisan organization \u2014 \u201creflect our long\u2011standing commitment to supporting innovation, economic strength, and workforce development in the communities where our customers, employees, and partners live and work.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for its financial arrangement with the Great American State Fair?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not comment on sponsorship amounts, pricing, or contract terms associated with our sponsorships or partnerships,\u201d Dixon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a proud American company, Chevron is pleased to support celebrations of 250 years of the country\u2019s independence,\u201d said Bill Turenne, spokesperson for the oil company that spent $8.26 million on lobbying last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cAxiom Space was invited to participate in the Great American State Fair and showcase our efforts to support the future of American space exploration,\u201d the company said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Exiger, a government contractor that provides AI-powered supply chain services, \u201cparticipated because we are an American AI company and we love that the Freedom 250 team is championing innovation,\u201d spokesperson Kody Gurfein told NOTUS. \u201cWe did this to be a part of the biggest celebration of innovation in the U.S. \u2014 a once-in-a-generation celebration of the people, technologies, and ideas shaping America\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exiger spent $450,000 on federal lobbying in 2025, according to federal records.<\/p>\n

In declining to comment, GE Aerospace pointed NOTUS to a promotional blog post<\/u><\/span> and press release<\/u><\/span> about its participation, including a display of the GE9X, an engine that will power the future Boeing 777X widebody jet.<\/p>\n

Corporations that build goodwill with Trump at the Great American State Fair are \u201cmaking entries into a favor bank that can be called on when needed,\u201d said Jeff Hauser, executive director of the Revolving Door Project, a watchdog organization that tracks lobbying and political influence trends.<\/p>\n

And while critics have panned<\/u><\/span> the Great American State Fair for its small crowds<\/u><\/span> and limited fun quotient<\/u><\/span>, \u201cthe people who are continuing to say the emperor\u2019s clothes are stylish will be rewarded,\u201d Hauser said. \u201cSticking with him while the State Fair is being derided \u2014 that\u2019s demonstrating loyalty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Puerto Rico Is Still Waiting on Billions in Aid Nine Years After Hurricane Maria<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trump\u2019s fair has had a rocky start. 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