Trump Declares America “Back” at National Mall Rally for U.S. 250th Birthday

By Michael Katz | Wednesday, 24 June 2026 09:51 PM EDT

President Donald Trump launched celebrations for the nation’s 250th birthday with a rally on the National Mall, declaring, “America’s 250th year is set for an economic boom, the likes of which no nation has ever seen before.”

Trump stated: “There has never been anything like the United States of America, and together we are making it bigger and better and stronger and far more exceptional than ever before.”

The president credited the nation’s founding in 1776 with changing history, praising the Declaration of Independence for enshrining rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He argued these principles helped build “the world’s greatest, strongest, and most exceptional nation.”

The rally served as the kickoff event for The Great American State Fair on the National Mall, a 16-day celebration beginning Thursday with pavilions representing all 56 states and U.S. territories, along with concerts and attractions.

A concert scheduled for the fair was canceled after several entertainers—including Young MC, Martina McBride, and the Commodores—pulled out shortly after the May 27 lineup announcement. Some reportedly stated they had never agreed to perform or were not informed the event would be “politicized.”

Trump announced he would serve as the featured speaker at the kickoff event. The program included military flyovers, speeches from Cabinet members, and performances by Lee Greenwood and Christopher Macchio, two of his favorite singers, along with multiple military bands.

Addressing attendees, Trump declared: “Tonight, as we stand on the edge of our 250th year of independence, I am thrilled to declare that America is back. As you know very well, a short time ago, we were a dead country. We were dead.”

He added: “Now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world. We’re respected by everybody. Nobody’s laughing at us anymore. Two years ago, they were laughing. Now, we’re the most respected anywhere.”

Trump honored Americans who fought for independence and built the nation over the past 250 years, noting that farmers, soldiers, shopkeepers, and tradesmen united to defend their families and freedoms from tyranny before generations of Americans expanded westward, settled the frontier, built railroads and highways, constructed skyscrapers, invented the airplane, won two world wars, defeated fascism and communism, and led humanity into space.

“The American dream is alive again,” Trump stated. “That’s something nobody thought they’d be saying when you went through that last four years of incompetence.”

He highlighted key historical figures including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Paul Jones, John Hancock, and Abraham Lincoln. Trump also referenced Revolutionary War battlefields such as Lexington and Concord, Saratoga, Trenton, and Yorktown, noting how Americans answered Patrick Henry’s call to seek “liberty or death.”

Trump noted that major anniversaries of American independence have been marked by lasting national projects: the Washington Monument was completed for the nation’s 100th anniversary, work began on the Statue of Liberty, Colonial Williamsburg commemorated the 150th anniversary, and the National Air and Space Museum opened during the bicentennial.

Looking ahead, Trump highlighted several projects tied to the nation’s 250th birthday, including a new White House ballroom, a planned triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, the National Garden of American Heroes, and the Spirit of ‘76 exhibition at Freedom Plaza. He stated: “In West Potomac Park, we are creating the National Garden of American Heroes, featuring 250 or more statues of the greatest Americans who have ever lived.”

Trump concluded his remarks with: “Now we are expanding the glory of American freedom into a horizon that’s never been seen before. We’ve never reached so high as we’re reaching right now. This is our heritage. This is our history, and this is the destiny of America to be the greatest, most incredible country ever to grace the earth.”