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Washington, DC – There are scuffles on the White House lawn, soon to be followed by a high-speed race across the National Mall. What’s happening in Washington, DC?
The United States capitol has been renamed in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary.
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Events across the country are gearing up to mark two and a half centuries since the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
The international bash was named “semiquincentennial” — meaning half past 500 — not because Congress likes long words. The US has a history of throwing a party every 50 years.
But the US President, Donald Trump, promised a very important event this year, although the proceedings were marred by many controversies.
Here’s what you need to know:
What is the history of semicentennial celebrations in the US?
The first year of 50 years, in 1826, was more uneventful than the coming celebrations.
At that time, some of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence were still alive, so the mayor of Washington, DC, invited them to attend the celebration in the capital.
Former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both complained about their failing health. They died within hours of the semicentennial day.
Fifty years later, in 1876, the United States would celebrate its 100th anniversary by hosting its first world’s fair, an exhibition featuring art, culture and technology from around the world.
The exhibition was held in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the original document was put on display for a while in the city.
Another world’s fair came to Philadelphia for the country’s 150th anniversary in 1926, but it was not a success. Variety magazine called it “America’s greatest downfall”.
Meanwhile, the current year-round, international celebration was established on the 200th anniversary in 1976.
A train-mounted museum of ancient artifacts toured the lower 48 states for 21 months. But volunteers used covered wagons to travel across the country.
The celebrations were generally well received, although selling souvenirs – from hats to umbrellas to mugs – made it the “celebration of the century”.
What’s happening this year?
Although the US capital may be the center of this year’s festival, there will be many events across the country. It includes:
- UFC Freedom 250, a mixed martial arts fight at the White House on June 14
- The Great American State Fair, which has booths representing all 50 states, is held on the National Mall from June 25 to July 10.
- The Freedom 250 Grand Prix, which will see IndyCars race around the Grand Prix from August 22 to 23
- World Cup Fan Zone in Washington, DC, from June 11 to July 16
- fireworks at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota on July 3
- concerts and shows in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Boston
The museum, known as the Freedom Trucks, will also travel across the country.
Another is America’s Block Party, an effort to encourage people to get involved in philanthropy and participate in their own mid-century parties.
For now, though, there doesn’t seem to be a government program working on the holiday’s most vexing and far-reaching problem: how to make 4th of July potato salad meaningless.
What kind of controversy is there in a UFC fight?
One of the most scrutinized events in the semiquincentennial calendar is UFC Freedom 250which will take place on the White House lawn on Sunday.
The timing of the incident is one of the things that has raised eyebrows. Sunday is a holiday known as Flag Day, and it’s also Trump’s 80th birthday.
The event is also being organized by one of Trump’s most prominent political donors: Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
White described Sunday’s incident as “about America”. There will be two title fights: a lightweight fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje and a long fight between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane, as well as several smaller “undercard” matches.
Despite having the title “Freedom 250”, the UFC event is not organized by the White House team of the same name.
A spokesman for Freedom 250 explained that the president’s group “did not monitor the operations, management or funding of the UFC White House”.
The point has become central to the ongoing debate over whether the fight represents a rift for Trump, who owns the UFC’s parent company.
On Friday, a federal judge denied an emergency request to stop the war, saying Trump was using government assets to promote his business.
White told an ESPN sports reporter that his organization is paying for the event.
What is the difference between Freedom 250 and America250?
There are two government-sponsored non-profit organizations that organize the anniversary celebrations: Freedom 250 and America250.
The former is part of the White House working group, and the latter is a closely related organization created in 2016 by the US Congress.
America250 was launched in 2016 “to plan and organize the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence”, and is led by citizens.
The Freedom 250, meanwhile, is a public-private partnership within the National Parks Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the National Park Service, a federal agency.
It’s part of the White House Task Force 250, which Trump launched in 2025 to “plan, fix, and do” for the semiquincentennial. Trump is also the chairman of the task force.
What is each side planning?
The philosophies of the two groups of event planners are not very compatible.
The Freedom 250 focuses on major events, such as the IndyCar race, the World Cup Fan Zone and the Sail4th 250, which will see tall ships and warships heading to US cities on the Atlantic coast.
America250 has focused on community involvement through initiatives such as America’s Block Party and its Giving 4th program, which aims to encourage charitable giving during the July 4th holiday.
So the Freedom 250 and the America250 don’t step on each other’s toes?
Not really, and she’s playing it safe, with America250 chairwoman Rosie Rios hailing Freedom 250 as a way to further the president’s mission to “give Americans more ways to celebrate America’s 250th birthday”.
But this is Washington, DC, so some elbows are thrown.
The creation of White House Task Force 250 was seen as a way for Trump to seize the festivities, without the oversight of Congress.
The launch of Freedom 250 came just two months after Trump’s nominee to lead America250, Ari Abergel, was fired for “serious and repeated violations” of his authority. Abergel refused to go beyond his duty.
Who is funding these two groups?
Neither the Congressional-created America250 nor the White House’s Freedom 250 are required to disclose individual donors.
But critics point out that there are fewer places with Freedom 250 than America250.
America250’s parent organization is required to submit an annual report to Congress detailing funding and expenditures.
Freedom 250, meanwhile, lists “supporters” and “partners” on the Internet, but it is not controlled by each individual. That lack of transparency has been a recurring complaint.
In February, the New York Times reported that Freedom 250 was offering access to Trump’s party in exchange for large donations.
But USA Today reported that America250 distributed flyers that included invitations to events that would be attended by government officials.
All these groups have been given tax-free income. Congress allocated $150 million to the Department of the Interior to celebrate the festivities, but did not specify how the money would be distributed among the parties.
The Department of the Interior gave $100m to Freedom 250 (through the National Park Foundation) and $50m to America250, raising concerns that Trump is withdrawing government funding from an organization mandated by Congress.
Critics also questioned whether the Freedom 250 events were designed to celebrate US freedoms or to promote Trump and his priorities.
About $10m, for example, went to support Freedom Cars, whose shows have been criticized for presenting a white image of US history.
Will there ever be a return to the Freedom 250?
The idea that Freedom 250 is a Trump organization, not an unrelated one, has created lice for the event’s tentpole: the Great American State Fair.
Almost as soon as his music was announced in May, artists started dropping out. Several actors said they felt misled by the organizers’ claim that the event was not religious.
Several states are refusing to participate, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
A spokesman for Oregon said among other things that the fair “makes it more inclusive than it originally appeared”.
But Freedom 250 has insisted that justice will continue with 50 countries represented on the National Mall.
Trump, meanwhile, canceled the concert, replacing it with a “Rally to end all rallies”, where he will speak. Country singer Lee Greenwood and tenor Christopher Macchio, as well as several bands, will also be included in the series.
