WASHINGTON – TheFourth of Julyisn't until Friday, but forPresident Donald Trump, the party begins one day earlier on July 3. And then the celebration will continuefor the next 365 days. To mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the White House isplanning a full year of eventsacross the country that will culminate in one year on July 4, 2026, exactly 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Trump is set to kick off the yearlong countdown to America's 250th birthday with a speech Thursday night at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines that will include "patriotic entertainment" and fireworks. Trump ‒ who haslong embraced patriotic themes and imageryto complement his "America first" agenda ‒already had a controversial taxpayer-funded military paradeon the streets of Washington, D.C., last month. (The parade marked the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and also fell on the president's 79th birthday.) Now he has an opportunity to drape himself in the red, white and blue for the next 12 months. "We are planning parties. We are planning a national celebration to really unite the country," Monica Crowley, the White House's ambassador for major U.S.-hosted events, including the 250th anniversary celebration,said this week in an interview on Fox News, where she was previously a contributor. "Bring the country together out of shared patriotism, shared values and a renewed sense of civic pride." More:Army 250th anniversary parade: Trump presides over tanks, troops on DC streets; recap By losing the 2020 election but winning in 2024, Trump has noted that he now gets to be president for America's 250th birthday and when the United States hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the world's most popular sporting event both in the same year. In the summer of 2028, while he's still in his second term, Los Angeles plays host to the Summer Olympics. "Can you imagine? I missed that four years and now look what I have. I have everything,"Trump said May 26 at National Arlington Cemeteryon Memorial Day. "Amazing the way things work out. God did that. I believe that, too," he added with a laugh. The festivities,dubbed America250, are organized under a nonprofit with the same name created in 2019 after Congress took action three years earlier to create the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission to begin organizing the country's 250th anniversary celebration. The initiative is supposed to be a nonpartisan affair,but The Atlantic reportedthe group has effectively been operating "as an arm of Trump's White House operation." More:Trump has big plans for Fourth of July 2026. What we know about America's 250th. America250's newly named executive director isAriel Abergel, a former producer ofFox News' Fox and Friends who interned at the White House during Trump's first term. He's brought with him other former Fox News employees, according to The Atlantic, and enlisted the help of Trump campaign aides, including senior adviser Chris LaCivita. Corporate sponsors of America250include several led by executiveswho have sought to curry favor with Trump, including Ultimate Fighting Championship, Amazon, Coinbase and Oracle. Trump,in a post on Truth Social, said the America250 kickoff in Iowa "will be a very special event, honoring our Great Country, and our Brave Heroes who fought to keep us FREE." It could also give Trump his first chance to publiclytout passage of his so-called "big, beautiful bill"‒ but only if he's able to push House Republicans to sign off on the massive tax and spending bill before his self-imposed holiday deadline. Trump has a history of turning traditionally nonpartisan events into supercharged political spectacles. Ina June 10 speech to troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Trump slammed California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as "incompetent" ‒ prompting some soldiers to boo their names ‒ and referred to Los Angeles as a "trash heap." He also singled out media covering the event as "fake news," making the speech sound more like a Trump campaign rally than an address to uniformed troops. More:President Donald Trump reinstates order to build 'National Park of American Heroes' Trump signed a Jan. 29 executive orderdirecting his administration to organize "a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion" of America's 250th birthday. That included creating a task force on celebrating the 250th anniversary, composed of Trump Cabinet secretaries and chaired by Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Each federal department and agency has assigned a point person to coordinate with the White House on America250 planning, a White House official told USA TODAY. The full slate of America250 activities and projects have not been announced, but some are in the works. More:Trump installs pair of 88-foot-tall new flag poles at the White House The most widely publicized plans are for a "National Garden of American Heroes" that will honor 250 American heroes across a wide range of fields. Trump reinstated plans for the garden, which he had pushed in his first term,as part of his America250 executive order. A location for the garden hasn't been decided. An updated timeline calls for it to be completed "as expeditiously as possible." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffyannounced a "Great American Road Trip"to mark America's 250th birthday that will highlight popular travel routes, historic landmarks and scenic destinations in all 50 states. The White House has started unveiling videos showing a narrated cartoon version of signers of the Declaration of Independence,such as President Thomas JeffersonandThomas Heyward Jr. of South Carolina. In the final year of his first White House term, Trump created a "1776 Commission" to promote what he called "patriotic education." There'salso a nationwide student writing and artwork contestin which children are asked to answer, "What does America mean to you?"A storytelling project looksto preserve firsthand accounts of Americans, both famous and lesser-known. Andan America Gives initiativeaims to increase volunteerism. An effort is underway for all 50 states to collect items for a "time capsule" that will be buried in Philadelphia on July 4, 2026. A traveling tech expo is set to display American innovations across the country. And celebrations will also mark the 250th anniversary of the Navy and Air Force ‒ though neither is expected to include a parade like the U.S. Army received for its 250th anniversary. And you can bet Trump will headline several more America250 events after Iowa. "It really is a gift to have him in office," Crowley said. "Can you imagine the other team being in office for America250?" Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump had his military parade. Now he's got America's 250th birthday.
