Artists withdraw from 250th events; administration accused of politicizing celebrations

Performer withdrawals and control of the nation’s 250th anniversary events have drawn scrutiny following a Guardian opinion piece by Judith Levine published Wednesday that detailed a shift in planning from a congressionally created bipartisan commission to an organization aligned with President Donald Trump.

The semiquincentennial — the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence — was originally coordinated by America250, a commission Congress established in 2016 to plan and raise funds for the 2026 commemoration. But according to Levine’s piece, an organization called Freedom 250, “all but a wholly owned subsidiary of Maga,” has eclipsed America250 as the primary brand for events after the Interior Department quietly instructed staff to use Freedom 250 as the “primary branding” on America 250 events.

Multiple acts withdrew

Artists who dropped out of the planned “Great American State Fair” — a Freedom 250 event — said they had been tricked about its nonpartisan nature. Rapper Young MC wrote on Facebook that he had informed his agents he would not perform. “The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event,” he wrote, adding that SPIN magazine had described it as “Trump-backed.” Country singer Martina McBride said the organizers’ description of the event as nonpartisan “turned out to be misleading,” according to the piece.

After many acts withdrew, Trump replaced them with himself, calling himself “the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World,” Levine wrote.

Funding disparities

Levine reported that America250 had received only $25 million of its $100 million appropriation from Congress as of April, with a $100 million “funding shortfall” and lower private donations than expected. The National Park Foundation — “and by proxy Freedom 250” — received nearly $80 million in federal funds for the semiquincentennial, 10 times its total since 2009, she wrote. An additional $100 million in federal funds went to Trump’s Washington “beautification” projects, including $5 million to gild four horse statues.

Freedom 250, Levine wrote, offers donors incentives that would be illegal from a government agency, including a private reception hosted by Trump for a $1 million donation and a speaking slot at a July 4 Washington event for $2.5 million.

Agency reorientation

The author reported that federal cultural agencies have been redirected toward the administration’s priorities. The National Endowment for the Humanities canceled $100 million in grants using a chatbot to search for terms associated with diversity, equity and inclusion, such as “LGBTQ” and “tribal.” A federal judge ruled the cancellations unconstitutional, Levine wrote. The NEH money was redirected to Trump’s proposed National Garden of American Heroes, a 250-statue project in Washington.

The Institute for Museum and Library Services survived a legal challenge that prevented its elimination, according to the piece, but shifted its grant priorities. Applicants for semiquincentennial-related projects were told they should “teach citizens about what makes our country the greatest in the world.” A $14 million grant went to “Freedom Trucks” — six mobile museums presenting what Levine described as a sanitized account of U.S. history in which “slavery is an unpleasant glitch and treaties with Indigenous Americans are not broken.”

The Smithsonian Institution, the piece said, has been ordered to submit details of all exhibitions related to the semiquincentennial for “content corrections” aimed at replacing “divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate and constructive descriptions.”

Christian and conservative partners

Levine reported that Freedom 250’s partners list is “packed with Christian and conservative organizations,” including National Religious Broadcasters, Pray, WallBuilders, and the school library book-banning group Moms for Liberty. She wrote that no organization whose name implies a racial, ethnic or gender identity appears among the scores of sponsors and partners.

In May 2026, Freedom 250 sponsored “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving.” Of 19 faith leaders advertised for the event, 18 were Christians, most of them evangelicals, according to the piece. House Speaker Mike Johnson prayed to “remember that [God’s] mighty hand has been upon our nation since the very beginning.” Trump, who was golfing, sent a video in which he read from 2 Chronicles 7:14 — the same video he had used for another prayer event, Levine wrote.

Both Freedom 250 and the White House have highlighted “The Story of America,” a series of videos produced by Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian institution, and introduced by its president, Larry Arnn, who chaired the president’s 1776 Commission, according to Levine.

Historical dispute

Levine noted a recurring visual theme: Arnold Friberg’s painting “Prayer at Valley Forge,” which depicts George Washington kneeling in the snow beside his horse. The image appears on the Freedom Trucks and is sold on America 250’s website as a print and a historical comic book. Levine wrote that Washington “was a vehement defender of church-state separation” and that “there is no evidence that this incident ever happened.”