(Web Desk) – In many ways, Saturday was a typical July 4 holiday in the United States._x000D_
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The country marked the anniversary of its Declaration of Independence with hotdog-eating contests, parades, fireworks and baseball games._x000D_
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But this Independence Day was different, not least because it marked the country’s semiquincentennial: the 250th year since the US’s founding._x000D_
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It also was one of the most politically charged Independence Day celebrations in recent memory._x000D_
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President Donald Trump was slated to speak during the evening from the National Mall in Washington, DC, right before what has been billed as the “world’s largest fireworks displayâ€._x000D_
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More than 850,000 fireworks were scheduled to launch from barges in the Potomac River, lighting up the sky above the capital. But it is unclear whether that plan will move forward, as officials have ordered attendees to evacuate the National Mall ahead of a severe thunderstorm._x000D_
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While Independence Day festivities have long been billed as non-partisan events, Trump has pledged to make the night’s celebration “the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them allâ€._x000D_
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The event comes as Trump’s Republican Party seeks to defend its control of Congress in November’s midterm elections, with a heated primary season already under way._x000D_
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Trump’s involvement in the semiquincentennial has long been controversial._x000D_
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On January 29, 2025 — just nine days into his second term as president — Trump issued an executive order establishing a White House task force to oversee celebrations for the 250th anniversary. Trump named himself its chair._x000D_
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That task force would eventually set the groundwork for Freedom 250, a public-private partnership that organised some of the biggest events of the semiquincentennial, including the Great American State Fair on the National Mall._x000D_
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But Freedom 250 was accused of funnelling resources away from America250, a congressionally approved panel that had likewise been charged with planning semiquincentennial celebrations since its founding in 2016._x000D_
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The existence of the two groups has also spurred confusion. In late May, for instance, a suite of performers dropped out of the Great American State Fair, alleging they had been misled about its affiliation with Trump._x000D_
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Before Saturday’s events, Democrats in the House of Representatives released a report (PDF) accusing Trump of using Freedom 250 for political purposes, including by awarding contracts to Trump allies._x000D_
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It also alleges that Freedom 250 has been “operating outside the transparency and accountability requirements†Congress imposes on such celebrations — and that it may even have committed wire fraud by redirecting “unsuspecting donors†away from America250 and towards its own programmes._x000D_
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“Under President Donald Trump, this anniversary has been hijacked and perverted into a hotbed of corruption and self-enrichment,†the report reads.
