One month from America's 250th birthday, events and celebrations to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence are as fragmented as the nation's politics and culture in 2026. President Donald Trump's plans for a concert affiliated with the Great American State Fair in the weeks leading up to July 4 have been replaced by a campaign-style MAGA rally after most of the artists invited to perform on the National Mall opted out because of the partisan nature of the event. America250, the bipartisan commission established by Congress to plan for the "semiquincentennial," remains the central organizer, but its efforts to get all 350 million Americans to participate in various ways have been overshadowed in recent weeks by the White House sponsor of events, Freedom 250. And while the two main 250 organizations vie for attention, scores of other groups, both local and national, are planning their own activities, some of them presented as attempts to counter the "Trump whitewash" of the United States' first two-and-a-half centuries. A coalition of groups led by All of U.S. 250 and Next 250 plan a "nationwide day of mobilization" on June 27, featuring "marches, rallies, cultural activations, performances, artistic installations, youth storytelling projects, teach-ins, faith gatherings and community events" in Washington and cities across the country. Locations of events can be found on the groups' websites. 'Counter-commemoration' Events also will be held the weekend of the Juneteenth federal holiday, including "Reclamation Day" in Brooklyn on June 20. "We're framing it as a counter-commemoration ahead of the 250th anniversary and also a movement-building opportunity," said Trevor Smith, co-founder of a group sponsoring the event, the Black Liberation Indigenous Sovereignty Collective. "We push back against the kind of whitewashed narrative that the administration is pushing." Linda Sarsour, co-chair of Next 250, said the goal is to provide events outside today's negative politics, where people can feel safe and positive about the future. "I think for those of us who are working in grassroots movements right now, a lot of our people are feeling scared," Sarsour said. "They're also feeling uncertain about the future. And I think what we're trying to do here is reaffirm an actual certainty that whatever's happening right now is temporary. We are on 250 years. And guess what? There's another 250 years coming, and we can shape that by doing the work that we're doing today." The America250 Commission, the bipartisan group that has been planning for the 250th since 2016, is encouraging people from all walks of life to get involved, such as donating time or money as part of an "America Gives" program or simply joining one of the many celebrations that will be part of "America's Block Party" on July 4. “America’s 250th is a once-in-a-generation moment and it belongs to everyone,” said the commission chair, former U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios. "From neighborhood block parties to national moments, we are building a shared experience that brings our country together and invites people to celebrate, connect and give back.” White House plans Events sponsored by the White House through its public-private partnership, Freedom 250, appear to be far less inclusive. In a May 30 post on his Truth Social platform, after most performers backed out of a concert organized by Freedom 250, Trump said he would instead hold an "AMERICA IS BACK Rally" and give a speech on the National Mall before the Fourth of July, with "Only Great Patriots invited." The plans for a mixed martial arts competition on the White House lawn on June 14, which is both Flag Day and Trump's 80th birthday, and a Grand Prix IndyCar race around the National Mall on Aug. 22 and 23 have been criticized as far removed from the focus of the nation's 250th birthday celebration. And Freedom 250's "Rededicate 250" rally on the Mall on May 17 — billed as "giving thanks for God’s presence in our national life throughout 250 years of American history and asking for his guidance for the next 250" — was seen by some as violating the Constitution's call for separation of church and state. Democrats and other critics have raised questions about whether funds appropriated by Congress for America250 have been diverted to the White House group and combined with private donations that are not being disclosed. The watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility filed a lawsuit last month in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking documents from the Interior Department on fundraising and spending by Freedom 250. “America’s 250th anniversary celebration is supposed to be an occasion for strengthening public trust in our democratic institutions, not eroding it,” Tim Whitehouse, PEER’s executive director, said when the suit was filed. “In contrast, Freedom 250 is a privately managed slush fund designed to operate with no transparency, no accountability and no guardrails. It epitomizes what is wrong with politics today." Top Democrats on two House committees wrote Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 27 asking about reports that some U.S. ambassadors are soliciting donations from foreign companies to help fund Freedom 250 activities. “The degree to which State Department personnel, resources, and the prestige of official diplomatic positions have been mobilized in service of a politically motivated and partisan fundraising enterprise demands transparency," said Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee, and Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, D-N.Y., ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. An attorney for PEER and a spokesperson for Huffman both said Tuesday that neither has received responses to the lawsuit or the letter.
