Fireworks CEO Provides $750K-$1M Gift After Trump Delays Tariffs

confirmed Importance 8/10 ~1 min read 4 sources 3 actors

Phantom Fireworks CEO Bruce Zoldan met with Trump in May 2019 to lobby against tariffs on Chinese fireworks. Shortly after, Zoldan’s company provided an estimated $750,000-$1,000,000 in fireworks and services for Trump’s “Salute to America” July 4th event. The administration delayed imposing planned tariffs on fireworks around this period. Ethics watchdogs identified this as a glaring case of pay-to-play.

Sources & Citations

[1] Trump's Tariffs and Crony Capitalism · Jul 1, 2019 Tier 2

[2] July 4th fireworks donor lobbied President Trump on tariffs and won a reprieve · Jul 8, 2019 Tier 1

[3] Company that donated fireworks to Trump's event also successfully lobbied against tariffs · Jul 8, 2019 Tier 2

[4] July 4 firework donor met with Trump on tariffs ahead of donation · Jun 25, 2019 Tier 2

Tiers Tier 1 court records & gov docs · Tier 2 established outlets · Tier 3 regional & specialty press · Tier 4 opinion or single-source. Methodology →

Cite this entry

The Cascade Ledger. “Fireworks CEO Provides $750K-$1M Gift After Trump Delays Tariffs.” The Capture Cascade Timeline, May 1, 2019. https://capturecascade.org/event/2019-05-01--phantom-fireworks-tariff-delay/