President Donald Trump is set to kick off America’s 250th birthday festivities with a rally on the National Mall in Washington on Wednesday evening, according to BBC News. The event is expected to feature a flyover by “some of the nation’s most iconic fighter jets and stealth bombers,” military bands, and a performance by “God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood.
“It’s going to be essentially a rally, but we’ll call it a rally to America, we’re honoring the 250th, and it’s going to be something very, very special,” Trump said in a video posted on social media.
Trump announced his plans to be the event headliner after several musicians cancelled their performances because of concerns that the celebrations had been politicised. The rally is tied to “The Great American State Fair,” a 16-day exposition that will run from June 25 to July 10 across the National Mall from the US Capitol to the Washington Monument. All 56 US states and territories will be showcased in the exposition, according to Freedom 250, which is organising the event.
America250, one of the groups planning celebrations, was established by Congress ten years ago to plan nonpartisan events. Freedom 250, another organisation also planning events, was created by Trump and is a public-private partnership. Congress has reportedly allocated $150m (£112m) in federal funds for the birthday celebration, with millions more expected to be spent by Freedom 250.
Several artists, including Martina McBride, The Commodores, Young MC and Bret Michaels, dropped out of the planned concert series, citing the event’s affiliation with the White House. Some said they did not realise the event was affiliated with Freedom 250. In response, Trump cancelled the planned musical acts and announced on Truth Social that he would host “the Greatest Rally, EVER!” He wrote that “We don’t want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep, we’ve told them all to stay home. All we want is you, me, a few speakers, and the Greatest Music ever played, the same Music you have listened to for years!” Lee Greenwood will introduce the president, and tenor Christopher Macchio will also sing at the event. Country singer Alexis Wilkins, the longtime girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, announced she would perform at Wednesday’s event.
Other celebrations include a July 4 fireworks display on the National Mall featuring more than 860,000 fireworks over 40 minutes, run by Freedom 250, which organisers said aims to beat the Philippines’ 2016 record for the largest fireworks display. A typical display includes some 10,000 fireworks and lasts less than 20 minutes. A ball will drop in Times Square eight times to mark midnight in each US time zone, each with its own special design, according to America250. In Philadelphia, a time capsule will be buried and remain sealed until 2276. In Los Angeles, America250 will host a concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with up to 50,000 attendees.
Trump’s administration pursued a number of beautification projects across Washington ahead of the anniversary, including painting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue. After its completion, the blue paint began to peel and algae started to form, prompting officials to drain the pool again. Trump blamed the developments on vandals. The painting had faced legal challenges from a non-profit group arguing that Trump ignored laws limiting changes to historical landmarks. Before a court order was issued in the case, Trump said on Truth Social on June 3 that a final coat of protection was completed and “the water will start flowing, shortly thereafter.”