Trump launches Freedom 250 to add his mark on USA 250 celebrations

WASHINGTON –  Celebrations for the nation's 250th birthday ‒ July 4, 2026 ‒ have been in the works for more than a decade.

America 250, the bipartisan organization established by Congress in 2016 to lead the commemorations, is sponsoring field trips and oral history recordings, planning the largest volunteer-effort in the country’s history, burying a time capsule and hosting a nationwide block party, among other major events.  

But on Thursday, Dec. 18, President Donald Trump outlined a slew of different initiatives that will be spearheaded by a separate organization called Freedom 250.

Described as non-partisan, the group will carry out events the president has previously floated, including a national prayer event, an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match on the White House lawn and an athletic competition among high school students that some have compared to the fictional, deadly Hunger Games.  

John J. Pitney Jr., a conservative author, said he's worried Trump's competing events won't invite Americans to reflect on the nation's founding ideals, but will provide "an opportunity for people to curry Trump's favor" through donations.

“Is it simply a celebration of patriotism, or are there going to be events that reflect on the principles of the Declaration of Independence?” asked Pitney, also a former Republican National Committee staffer, and a government professor at California's Claremont McKenna College. “I think that’s an open question.”

What is Freedom 250?

Freedom 250 is the funding arm of Task Force 250, the White House group Trump created in January 2024 to plan events outside of those run by the official America 250 commission. 

Since its creation, the Task Force has been criticized by Democratic lawmakers and some historians as an effort to politicize America’s birthday bash. In a July 21 letter, Democratic lawmakers who serve on the bipartisan commission expressed concern about the White House-derived events and questioned the relationship between America 250 and the Task Force 250.  

America 250 Board Chair Rosie Rios, former treasurer of the United States under President Barack Obama, told USA TODAY the two efforts remain distinct but are working “very closely” to ensure “the interests of the president and all the federal agencies are reflected” in the celebrations.  

“This president deserves to plan the celebration that he wants to plan, and we are very supportive of that,” Rios said during a Dec. 16 interview with USA TODAY. 

In a separate emailed statement on Dec. 18, Rios expressed support for the President’s Freedom 250, saying it provided a needed “funding mechanism” for events the president has planned.  

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“America250 welcomes Freedom 250 and its initiatives that will give the American people more ways they can celebrate America's 250th birthday,” Rios said. “America250 will continue to focus on the values-based programming approved by our bipartisan Commission at the local, state, national and international levels.” 

Is Trump influencing America’s birthday celebration?  

Since Trump took office, questions have swirled about how he will make his mark on the country’s semiquincentennial, and whether partisanship would take hold of the celebrations. 

The president has little control over the America 250 Commission, which Congress established through an act of law in 2016. Under the statute, the president only has the authority to pick which of the 24 members will chair the commission. 

Former President Joe Biden appointed Rios chair in July 2022, and she has remained in the position since Trump took office.  

Still, concerns have arisen about presidential interference in the commission’s duties. 

Earlier this year, the commission appointed former Fox News host and Trump administration alumna Ari Abergel as the organization's executive director. After only a few months in the role, Abergel was fired. The organization said Abergel had “initiated a security breach” of its social media account.  

He had posted a tribute to conservative activist Charlie Kirk on its Instagram account, saying: “America is in mourning. God bless Charlie Kirk.” 

Rios has sought to quash concerns about politization of America’s birthday. 

“I carry one flag, and that's the American flag. And that's how we as a commission have been so successful over the last several years, is to keep that focus on this bipartisan, non-partisan movement,” she told USA TODAY, emphasizing broad support for the commission in Congress.

The bicentennial celebration was clouded by partisanship

Allegations of politicization also aren’t without precedent. The planning of the country’s 1976 bicentennial celebrations were plagued by party politics.  

More than a dozen years before the bicentennial, a group of businessmen reportedly visited then-President John F. Kennedy to pitch their vision for a grand exposition to be held in Philadelphia. Kennedy, a former Senator from Massachusetts, loved the idea and only had one suggestion – that it take place in Boston, rather than Philadelphia. 

Later, Congress established the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission “to plan, develop, encourage and coordinate activities.” Over its 10-year existence, the objective of the 200^th anniversary changed – a lot.  

“If you look at the entire trajectory of the bicentennial or plans for the bicentennial and the different shapes that they took, they actually looked really, really different depending on who was in office,” said M.J. Rymsza-Pawlowska, a history professor at American University in D.C. 

Former President Lyndon B. Johnson, president from Nov. 1963 to Jan. 1969, envisioned the bicentennial as an opportunity to enhance infrastructure and urban development, and “lift up marginalized populations,” while former President Richard Nixon, who served from Jan. 1969 until he resigned in Aug. 1974, wanted to take a “strong patriotic" approach, Rymsza-Pawlowska said. 

The bicentennial commission ended up receiving “severe Congressional criticism for being politically partisan, overly commercial and inefficient,” according to a New York Times article published in 1973. 

The House Judiciary Committee even investigated it for political interference. Nixon proposed dismantling the congressionally created body and replacing it with an organization overseen largely by the White House. 

“A national commemoration is always an opportunity to solidify public opinion. It's a really concentrated messaging opportunity,” Rymsza-Pawlowska said. “Of course, people are going to be really invested in instrumentalizing it.” 

Karissa Waddick, who covers America's semiquincentenial for USA TODAY, can be reached at [email protected].