As the new year 2026 approaches, US President Donald Trump is set to kick off the nation’s 250th anniversary year by launching a new non-partisan organisation called ‘Freedom 250’, which will spearhead the administration’s efforts to commemorate America’s milestone birthday.
According to a report by Fox News, the initiative is intended to coordinate nationwide events, educational programs, and public engagement activities leading up to July 4, 2026, marking 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
What is ‘Freedom 250’?
The new initiative will bring together states, companies and organisations to plan and participate in events celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday “by mobilising partners and communities in all 50 states and around the world,” Freedom 250’s recently-launched website noted. It will work in coordination with the America 250 Task Force, federal departments, and the America 250 Commission to plan and deliver on the events nationwide.
The year “2026 will mark a celebration of America unlike anything we have ever done and I am grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to execute his vision for Freedom 250,” Keith Krach, former undersecretary of state under the first Trump administration, who was named CEO of Freedom 250, said in a press release of the new organisation.
The site’s calendar is packed with patriotic events, including an ongoing freedom tour hitting all 50 states in the order they joined the union.
The tour will feature Cabinet officials and have local and state leaders visiting schools to highlight US’ history.
The events will kick off with the Washington Monument illuminated from December 31 through January 5 that will mark “the start of this once-in-a-generation anniversary year.”
How has Trump marked the country’s 250th birthday celebrations earlier?
A series of events have already been held in the US, which were tied to the 250th birthday milestone, including a June 14 military parade Trump hosted in Washington, DC, for the US Army’s 250th anniversary.
Tanks rolled through the streets, military jets roared overhead and fireworks lit up the National Mall. The parade fell on Flag Day, which also coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday.
This year, Trump also created a White House Task Force 250 by executive order, revived his 1776 Commission as a patriotic-education partner, and signed the massive “big beautiful bill” that steers tens of millions into initiatives focused on the birthday.
Which other events are lined up?
Among the lengthy list of upcoming events is the highly anticipated White House UFC fight, which first daughter Ivanka Trump is helping facilitate.
“Every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honour of ‘America250,’ and I even think we’re going to have a UFC fight,” Trump said in a speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in July of this year.