“Small towns across America had big plans to celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial this weekend. Local historical societies scheduled town square readings of the Declaration of Independence, hired bands to play patriotic tunes, organized parades and set up themed baking contests,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“But many of their most ambitious plans were scrapped after the Trump administration cut $100 million in federal funding for humanities nonprofits and state councils at the start of its term. The decision severely hampered local planning for America’s 250th anniversary, disrupting history projects, museums and educational programs nationwide.”
“Instead, the Trump administration funneled tens of millions in federal dollars to Event Strategies, the firm behind Trump’s infamous rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, to organize anniversary events throughout the nation’s capital centered on President Trump.”
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President Donald Trump has utilized the beginning of the United States’ 250 year celebrations more as a platform to promote his own presidency than as a way to unite Americans in celebrating their country’s history. He has also utilized similar marketing techniques that are reminiscent of his presidential campaign. The first celebration on the National Mall set the tone; fireworks exploding above the Washington Monument and a large stage, constructed for display, and President Trump as the centerpiece, rather than just another person participating in a larger community celebration.
The centerpiece of the festivities is the “Great American State Fair” (wrapped in the Freedom 250 brand) which is a sixteen day exhibition across the National Mall. It features exhibits from each of the fifty states, military flybys, a Ferris Wheel, and many other displays of patriotism. This has turned the middle of our Nation’s Capitol into something like a combination of a political convention and a theme park.
According to commentators, the event looks identical to a Trump presidential campaign rally. For example, there was bullet-proof glass protecting the podium where he spoke, red-white-and-blue visual graphics specifically created for his supporters, and music played during the event included Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” This resulted in an overall feel for the event being more reflective of a “MAGA-branded spectacle” indicating that this anniversary was meant to celebrate Trump’s interpretation of what America should represent.
Also, according to critics, the entire structure of the celebration makes Trump the central figure, and not America.
Additionally, some critics believe that Trump is attempting to use the Freedom 250 branding and scheduling of events as a means of combining patriotic imagery with his own politics, ultimately turning what would otherwise be a civic ceremony into a method of promoting his own legacy-building efforts.
And what legacy-building efforts are those?
With little distinction between the nature of national holidays and presidential rallies, fans of the president can enjoy what amounts to a spectacular celebration of the president, while detractors question if America is truly celebrating 250 years of democracy or simply supporting an individual who seeks to establish himself as an integral element of its history.
