Trump to launch America's 250th celebration with flyover and state fair

A flyover by four F-35s, a performance by Lee Greenwood and a speech by Donald Trump opened the first day of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall. The 16-day exposition ran from June 25 through July 10, stretching from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument and offering a free public program.

Freedom 250, the public-private partnership leading the national celebrations, said the fair brought more than 150 exhibits from all 56 U.S. states and territories. Organizers described a mix of state pavilions, industry displays, family-friendly attractions, movie screenings, musical performances, military ensembles, daily cultural programming and an iconic Ferris wheel, all staged as part of the America250 rollout.

The White House said July 4, 2026, marked 250 years of American independence, and the National Park Service cast the Mall as a centerpiece of the commemoration. Park Service materials said the site has long served as a place for celebration, demonstration and commemoration, underscoring why the capital’s central greensward became the stage for the anniversary opening.

The event unfolded under heavy security planning. Federal agencies, including the U.S. Capitol Police, the FBI and the Secret Service, were preparing a major security operation in Washington for the summer festivities, as the city braced for a surge of visitors, ceremonies and politically charged symbolism around the semiquincentennial.

That symbolism has already become part of the fight over how America’s 250th should be remembered. Some states declined to participate in the Great American State Fair, and Democratic lawmakers Jared Huffman and Adam Schiff criticized the administration’s handling of anniversary planning and fundraising. The result was a national milestone wrapped in Trump’s visual language, with a flyover, a rally atmosphere and a pageant of flags and spectacle that made the line between civic commemoration and partisan show of power harder to see.