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A sign at a Starbucks is displayed in Philadelphia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP)
Starbucks provided coffee to first responders at the RNC but was not an event sponsor
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Starbucks Corp. was not an official sponsor of the Republican National Convention.
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The company worked with the Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee, a liaison between the city and the Republican National Committee, to give coffee to first responders including EMTs and firefighters.
The Republican National Convention’s corporate sponsors included the American Petroleum Institute, American Beverage Association and General Motors Co. But some social media posts said Starbucks, the world’s largest coffeehouse chain, decided to join the party.
"Starbucks joins the Heritage Foundation as the official sponsor of the RNC as they roll out Project 2025," a July 17 Facebook post read. "You know what to do."
(Screenshot of Facebook post)
This post, and others like it, were flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.) We also saw this claim on X.
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The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, was an RNC sponsor and the architect of Project 2025, a widely discussed 900-page manual containing recommendations for the next conservative U.S. presidential administration.
But the post is wrong about Starbucks Corp. The company did not provide financial sponsorship to the RNC. It partnered with the Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that worked with the city of Milwaukee and the Republican National Committee to ensure the event ran smoothly.
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Confusion over the company’s role at the RNC arose after the Milwaukee Host Committee posted a picture on its homepage thanking its partners, which included Starbucks.
Jaci Anderson, a Starbucks spokesperson, told The Associated Press that the company worked with the host committee to give coffee to the RNC’s first responders. Anderson also said that Starbucks will provide the same support to the Chicago 2024 Host Committee for the Democratic National Convention, which begins Aug. 19.
We rate the claim that Starbucks was an "official sponsor of the RNC" False.
Our Sources
Britannica, Starbucks | Description, History, & Facts, accessed July 24, 2024
Facebook post, July 17, 2024
Threads post, July 19, 2024
Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee, accessed July 24, 2024
The Associated Press, No, Starbucks is not sponsoring the Republican National Convention, July 17, 2024
Project 2025, accessed July 24, 2024
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Starbucks provided coffee to first responders at the RNC but was not an event sponsor
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