Trump turns America’s 250th anniversary into partisan battle

House Democrats on the Natural Resources Committee released a 55-page report accusing Trump-linked organizers of misleading donors and diverting money intended for America250 to Freedom 250, the White House-backed effort around the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Freedom 250 denied the allegations.

The United States will mark the semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026, and the White House has already launched a Freedom 250 website while calling the celebration the most important milestone in the country’s history. Trump has described a National Mall event as a Trump rally, and critics have targeted his proposed Independence Arch, which they have mocked as the "Arc de Trump." The broader Washington celebration has already been strained by performer withdrawals and by Democratic-led states distancing themselves from the Trump-backed festivities.

America250, the congressionally created U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission established in 2016, was designed as a nonpartisan effort to plan the 250th anniversary. Its aim is to engage every American in the commemoration, but Democrats argue Trump has turned the milestone into a partisan stage. Republicans, in turn, are casting the anniversary in the language of patriotism, freedom and national pride.

In an AP-NORC survey of 2,596 U.S. adults, about 3 in 10 Republicans described the country as “great, prosperous or powerful,” compared with about 1 in 10 Democrats. The same poll found that about 2 in 10 Americans said “freedom” or “liberty” is what unites most Americans, though Republicans were far more likely than Democrats to say so.