Shadowing Practice: Who Is Funding Pres. Trump’s Freedom 250 Celebrations? - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Welcome to the kickoff celebration for the Great American State Fair, proudly presented by Freedom 250.
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Right now, we're at the Great American State Fair here on the Washington Mall for the 250th celebrations.
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Freedom 250, it's become much more politicized because the Trump administration has pushed most of its events through that rather than America250, the bipartisan group.
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And it has raised concerns from ethics watchdogs.
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The problem is the nontransparent private partizan control and execution of these events.
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It's the president creating a separate entity to provide opportunities for pay to play like the ballroom, like the inauguration fund.
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We see corporate entities making the rational choice to keep good relations with the White House.
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Over 80 companies have partnered with Freedom 250.
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The list includes the UFC, United Airlines, IndyCar, ExxonMobil, John Deere, Oracle and Lockheed Martin.
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Many of those companies have business before the federal government.
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This hearing is about a choice that should be simple in a democracy. Whether America's 250th birthday belongs to the American people, or whether it will be sold to the highest bidder.
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That is what Freedom 250 was designed to do.
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Congress has been planning celebrations since 2016, forming the Semi-quincentennial Commission, known as America250 for short.
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The group received a total of $79.8 million in taxpayer dollars in the years leading up to the 250th anniversary.
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The One Big Beautiful Bill act, passed in the Summer of 2025, appropriated $150 million for the celebrations.
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Freedom 250 captured the funding that America250 had expected to receive, according to a House Democrats report released in July.
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Freedom 250 is a much more recently created entity, a private LLC.
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We have heard that $100 million has been diverted from the America250 planning budget to Freedom 250 through the structure.
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Groups like Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility have sued the federal government for its failure to provide information about the funding of Freedom 250 events.
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Freedom 250 did not respond to CNBC's request for comment in time for publication.
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We submitted these FOIA requests in February of 2026. We just got our response from the Department of Interior to our FOIA suit last week.
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What they said to boil it down is, yes, we confirm we've given you no documents and we have no schedule or plans as to when we will provide you with documents.
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Interior Secretary Doug Burgum oversees the National Park System, which in turn oversees the nonprofit National Park Foundation.
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That group, in turn operates Freedom 250 as a subsidiary.
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We created Freedom 250 at the request of the National Park Service. In preparation for the 250th funding from the National Park Foundation and the Legacy Restoration Fund made it possible for us to renovate the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and rebuild the crumbling Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park Seawalls.
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CNBC asked the Interior Department whether funds for America250 were diverted to Freedom 250.
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In response, a spokesperson for the department said as with all of our signature 250 events, resources have been made available to ensure these historic occasions are a success.
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Partner packages for Freedom 250 can reach into the millions of dollars and can include access to VIP events, speaking roles on July 4th, and private meet and greets with Trump.
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The businesses who take them on may have incentives to contribute to the president's projects.
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Think big government contractors like Lockheed Martin. Industries that are impacted by government regulation.
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Further, government employees have been asked to support or contribute to events run by the Freedom 250 entity.
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Federal employees have even been told to use the Freedom 250 logo in their email signatures.
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Over 20 government agencies were listed as Freedom 250 partners, according to an April archive of the group's promotional website.
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We are not going to stop trying to make sure that Department of Interior employees and other agency employees get to conduct themselves in a nonpartisan manner. So however long it takes, we're going to seek answers on how Freedom 250 is structured and funded.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice English speaking skills by analyzing a recent political event discussed in the YouTube video titled "Who Is Funding Pres. Trump’s Freedom 250 Celebrations?" You will learn to understand the complexities of political funding and event organization in a democratic context. By engaging with the content, you will not only enhance your comprehension but also improve your English pronunciation and speaking abilities. This lesson emphasizes the importance of active listening and shadowing as you replicate the speech patterns and intonation of the speaker in the video.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Freedom 250: A private entity created to manage the celebrations related to the 250th anniversary of the United States.
- Nontransparent: Not clear or open regarding operations and funding, leading to concerns about ethics.
- Corporations: Large companies that may have interests in governmental decisions.
- Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility: An organization advocating for transparency and accountability in government practices.
- FOIA (Freedom of Information Act): A law allowing the public to request access to records from any federal agency.
- Meet and greets: Events where attendees can meet a person, often in a more intimate setting.
- Partisan: Strongly supporting one party or cause, which can affect objectivity.
- Appropriated: To take something for one's own use, often without the owner's permission, especially in a legal or government context.
Practice Tips
To effectively improve your English pronunciation and speaking skills using the shadowing technique, follow these specific tips for the video:
- Listen Actively: Before you begin shadowing, listen to the video a few times to familiarize yourself with the tone and pace of the speaker. Pay attention to how they emphasize certain words and phrases, especially when discussing complex ideas like funding and political entity structures.
- Shadow in Segments: Break down the video into smaller segments. Focus on one segment at a time, pausing the video after each sentence or key phrase. Repeat what you hear, mimicking the speaker's speed and intonation.
- Record Yourself: Use a recording device to capture your voice while shadowing the speaker. Compare your recording with the original audio to identify areas where you can improve pronunciation and rhythm.
- Engage with the Content: As you practice, think about the implications of the topics discussed. Engaging your critical thinking can help reinforce vocabulary and phrases while making shadowing more meaningful.
- Use a Shadowing Site: Find a dedicated platform where you can practice the shadowing technique with a variety of videos to improve your English speaking practice effectively.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | will be sold · was designed · has been diverted |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has pushed · has raised · have partnered |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.