The United States turns 250 next week, a milestone Congress voted to mark as a nonpartisan celebration. President Donald Trump has instead made it his own.

On Wednesday, days before the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Trump headlined a kickoff rally for the “Great American State Fair,” staged as part of the 250th festivities, after several artists originally slated to perform at the fair’s opening ceremony backed out, saying they felt misled about the event’s political nature. 

There are, in effect, two 250ths. “America 250,” the congressionally authorized commission created a decade ago to celebrate the nation’s founding, was meant to plan a single, nonpartisan national commemoration. The White House has opted to run its own: The state fair — like many of the other major birthday events in Washington, D.C. — is run by Freedom 250, a group Trump created by executive order in January 2025, and over which he exerts more control.

The fair reflected that influence. Lee Greenwood sang “God Bless the U.S.A.,” Trump’s standard campaign rally walkout song; the U.S. Marine Band played “Y.M.C.A.,” Trump’s standard rally closer. At the podium, Trump spent much of his time touting his administration’s policy record — including mass deportations, aggressive border enforcement, a federal policy recognizing only two genders and the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the government. Only at the beginning and end of his remarks did the president acknowledge America’s 250th birthday, and even then, only briefly — ticking through a list of the Founding Fathers and previewing upcoming Freedom 250 activities.

A Freedom 250 spokesperson, Rachel Reisner, rejected the idea that Trump has made the 250th festivities political or about himself. 

“There’s not been a moment in history where a president has not been at a mass historic moment like this,” Reisner told MS NOW during the fair’s kickoff celebration. “If you look back to other major milestones, like the centennial, of course, the president was there, and there’s no difference today.”

“It’s only political if you want to make it political,” she said.

In a statement to MS NOW, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle emphasized Trump’s remarks Wednesday night “spotlighted our Nation’s storied history and enduring greatness while reminding us that our best days are still to come.”

“From the Great American State Fair and Salute to America Celebration to the Patriot Games, Rededicate 250, and many other inspiring events, 2026 will deliver a powerful resurgence of patriotism and national pride under President Trump’s leadership,” Ingle continued.

Indeed, the coming drumbeat of “Freedom 250” celebrations keeps Trump front and center.

On July 3, he will headline an event at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, delivering a keynote speech against the backdrop of the iconic granite faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. (Trump has toyed with the idea of having his own face added to the monument, and recently posted an image on Truth Social of how it might look.) He is expected to use the occasion to debut a new luxury jet gifted to him by Qatar that will serve as Air Force One. 

Then on July 4, Trump is scheduled to hold a Freedom 250 rally at the Washington Monument, where he will deliver an address. He has billed the event as both a “tribute to America” and a “Trump rally.” 

While past presidents have historically delivered remarks commemorating the country’s founding, this year’s July 4 event positions Trump as the star of the night. 

When Presidents Ulysses Grant and Gerald Ford spoke at America’s respective centennial and bicentennial celebrations in 1876 and 1976, the two former presidents’ speeches focused on honoring the country’s progress since its founding. Both were absent of partisan fanfare.

“President Trump has made it clear he is looking for a patriotic moment that honors all of America,” Reisner said, emphasizing that Freedom 250 festivities are celebrating “truly every ounce of America you see.”

Still, visitors to the nation’s capital can expect to see Trump’s imprint everywhere. A scaled-down replica of the president’s proposed 250-foot “triumphal arch” stands across from the ferris wheel not far from the stage where Trump spoke. Nearby, a tent promotes “Trump Accounts.” Large banners with Trump’s face are being displayed on several federal buildings. A photo of Trump that says “Make America Safe Again” hangs in front of the Department of Justice. At the Department of Labor, his face appears on a banner alongside a separate one of Teddy Roosevelt. At the Department of the Interior, Trump’s and George Washington’s faces are displayed separately on two Freedom 250 banners, each spanning three floors of the building.

Trump’s attempt at painting the Reflecting Pool an “American flag blue” color has been marred by significant algae growth and peeling paint. His name adorns the U.S. Institute of Peace. Where it once appeared on the Kennedy Center, only scaffolding remains, enveloped by a tarp. 

How all of that is landing is a separate question.

On Wednesday night, thousands of Americans — including Trump supporters who drove to D.C. for hours just to see him and some spectators who say they came by out of “morbid curiosity,” as one put it to MS NOW — flocked to the National Mall for the fair’s kickoff.

Kelle George, a D.C. resident and Trump supporter, had been looking forward to the fair for months, even before the president announced himself as the headliner. She said that watching Trump speak was a “bonus” for her.

To the artists who backed out of performing at the event over concerns about its political affiliation, George said, “I say get out of America, you know? If you cannot support the flag that you’re living under, then go to another country and live under the flag of the ideologies and the thought process that you support.”

“It shouldn’t matter who’s in office,” she continued. “America’s turning 250 years old regardless of who’s sitting in the White House.”

For Jacob Wehmeyer, another Washington resident and Trump supporter, the political nature of the Freedom 250 event and the president’s involvement is part of the draw.

“Trump rallies, I think, have a partisan air to it, and he probably can’t help himself,” Wehmeyer told MS NOW at the fair. “But that’s sort of the appeal. That’s what makes him fun, because he’s just candid and fun like that. … I don’t have an issue with it. I’m just happy they’re actually doing something.”

Chris and Lonnie from Stafford, Virginia, who described themselves as neither Republican nor Democrat and asked not to be identified by their last name, said they came to see the flyovers and remained open-minded about what the president had to say.

But the couple said they found it “discouraging” the way Trump has placed himself at the center of many of the 250th celebrations.

“In all of our history, every president that we’ve ever had hasn’t gone to the length that he has gone to just make it about him,” Lonnie said. “So, that’s a little discouraging. But again, he is our president, so I will respect him.”

Chris, who said he served in leadership positions in the military and federal government, added, “One of the largest pieces of being a leader is humility — putting others before yourself. It’s kind of the opposite of what’s going on right now.”

Akayla Gardner contributed to this article.

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