Trump launches America250 festivities with a rally on the National Mall

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, Watch: How Trump is transforming Washington — by adding his face everywhere Published 3 June 2026 Updated 6 hours ago President Donald Trump will kick off weeks of festivities celebrating America's 250th birthday with a rally on the National Mall in the nation's capital on Wednesday evening. The event is expected to feature a flyover by "some of the nation's most iconic fighter jets and stealth bombers", military bands, a performance by God Bless the USA singer Lee Greenwood, and a speech from the president. "It's going to be essentially a rally, but we'll call it a rally to America, we're honoring the 250th, and it's going to be something very, very special," Trump said in a video posted on social media. Trump announced his plans to be the event headliner after several musicians cancelled their performances because of concerns that the celebrations had been politicised. A range of events have been planned to celebrate America's 250th birthday, including the rally on Wednesday tied to "The Great American State Fair" on the National Mall in Washington DC. Organisers say these festivities are to commemorate the anniversary, but certain events, including those funded by a body that supports Trump, are leading to questions around whether the celebrations could become politicised . America250, one of the groups planning celebrations, was established by Congress ten years ago to plan nonpartisan events. Freedom 250, another organisation also planning events, was created by Trump and is a public-private partnership. Congress has reportedly allocated $150m (£112m) in federal funds for the birthday celebration. Millions more appear to be spent by Freedom 250. Both America250 and Freedom 250 are expected to host large events as part of the celebration - here is what you need to know. Image source, Bloomberg via Getty Images Image caption, Workers construct structures for the Great American State Fair on the National Mall American state fair A massive 16-day State Fair is among the biggest attractions of the 250th celebration. It will run from 25 June to 10 July across the National Mall from the US Capitol to the Washington Monument. The president will headline the fair's opening ceremony, Freedom 250 announced. All 56 US states and territories will be showcased in the exposition, according to Freedom 250, which is organising the event. Among the features of the celebration was a now cancelled concert series entitled the Great American State Fair concert series, which has made headlines recently after a number of the performers scheduled to take the stage, backed out. Several artists, including Martina McBride, The Commodores, Young MC and Bret Michaels, dropped out, citing the event's affiliation with the White House. Some said they did not realise the event was affiliated with Freedom 250. In turn, Trump axed the planned musical acts and inste