Trump to mark US 250th birthday with campaign rally

American flags are planted in the ground in front of a banner of U.S. President Donald Trump, hanging at the U.S. Department of Labor building, ahead of Fourth of July festivities, July 3, 2026, in Washington, DC. A fireworks display will begin around 10:30 p.m. on July 4 as the city faces extreme heat warnings.

Joe Raedle | Getty Images News | Getty Images

US President Donald Trump marks the country’s 250th birthday on Saturday with a political rally on a fenced-off National Mall in Washington, capping a weeks-long celebration that has been widely criticized as divisive.

Across the United States, Americans plan to celebrate the patriotic holiday with fireworks and parades. Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain was signed 250 years ago on July 4, 1776, will offer free cupcakes and a six-hour pop music concert, while New York will host tall ships from around the world. In the nation’s capital, Trump will place himself at the center of the celebration.

The president called his evening in front of the city’s iconic monuments “the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of all”, complete with military flyovers and a giant fireworks display.

Washington’s annual Fourth of July celebration typically draws hundreds of thousands of people, who this year will face heightened security, possible thunderstorms and temperatures that can exceed 100F (38C).

Past U.S. presidents have avoided the celebration, but Trump has blurred the line between official commemoration and campaign politics.

A nonpartisan body created in 2016 to manage the 250th anniversary has been largely sidelined by the Trump administration’s Freedom 250 group, which has fenced off much of the 1.5-mile National Mall for a “Great American State Fair” that features attractions such as a Ferris wheel alongside exhibits from conservative groups and defense contractors.

Several Democratic-led states declined to send delegations, and many of the artists scheduled to appear dropped out, citing “concerns about partisanship.” The event at times struggled to draw crowds, although thousands were on hand for Trump’s opening rally on June 24.

Other Freedom 250-branded activities include a church gathering featuring predominantly conservative and Christian speakers, and several sporting events, including a mixed martial arts fighting card on the White House grounds for Trump’s 80th birthday and an IndyCar race in Washington planned for August.

The Freedom 250 organization also sponsored “Freedom Trucks,” which critics say paint an overly religious version of American history and gloss over issues such as slavery and racial injustice.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll finds that “a majority of Americans, including three-quarters of Democrats and half of Republicans, think events celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary have become too political.”

Trump also sought to remake large swathes of the capital ahead of the 250th anniversary celebration, with mixed results. Many fountains and statues have been renovated, but problems have beset a much-touted $15 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool and security cameras and troopers now monitor its peeling paint and algae-fouled waters.

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