From questionable real estate seminars to mail-order steaks, President Donald Trump has never met a branding opportunity he didn't love. It follows that our commander-in-deals would see the facade of the White House as nothing but wasted ad space.
According to a report from CNN, the Trump administration is seeking corporate sponsors for the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn, a first for the event that has run since 1878.A pitch document obtained by the outlet said that sponsorship costs range from $75,000 to $200,000. For their money, sponsors were offered naming rights, branded signage and Easter baskets and mentions by the Trump administration in press releases and on social media.
Richard Painter, an attorney who served as President George W. Bush's chief counsel on ethics, told the outlet that such a deal should never have made it out into the world.
"That would have been vetoed in about 30 seconds in my day," he said. "We’re not running this like a football stadium where you get all logos all over the place for kicking in money."
The sponsorship document was put together by the aptly named events production company Harbinger. It promises that all proceeds from the event will go to the White House Historical Association.
The push to create the Tositos Easter Egg Roll isn't the first time that the Trump administration has used the White House as the backdrop for an advertisement. Earlier this month, Trump hawked Teslas from the driveway of the White House. The sop to Department of Government Efficiency figurehead and campaign financier Elon Musk came after the automaker's stock took a nosedive.
