Presidents have always shaped Independence Day. Critics say this year’s celebration is different in scale, funding and politics.
With the Fourth of July just days away, Washington has been transformed.
Final preparations are underway for what organizers say will be the largest fireworks display ever. But critics say it is not just the fireworks that are bigger this year; they say the politics are too.
Money is at the center of the dispute.
Congress set aside $150 million to commemorate America’s 250th birthday. But federal government records and public reporting show the money has not flowed evenly.
America250, the official effort tied to the congressionally created commission helping commemorate the anniversary, has reportedly received just $25 million of that $150 million, and is still raising private funds, according to the Associated Press. Federal records and NOTUS reporting show the Department of the Interior has directed more than $68 million, nearly three times what America250 has reportedly received, to support events through the National Park Foundation, where Freedom 250 is housed.
Freedom 250 is run by a former Trump appointee and supported by a task force chaired by President Donald Trump.
Trump predicted on June 24 that this year’s celebration would be “unbelievable,” adding, “I am thrilled to declare that America is back.”
Presidents have always been part of the Fourth
U.S. presidents have long played a role in Independence Day celebrations
Historians say George Washington doubled his troops’ ration of rum to a full cup in celebration of the new nation. In 1801, the White House Historical Association says President Thomas Jefferson welcomed dignitaries inside the brand-new President’s House and hosted horse racing on the lawn.
In 1986, President Ronald Reagan rededicated the renovated Statue of Liberty.
The point, historians say, is that presidential involvement in July Fourth is nothing new.
“July 4 won’t pass without a president doing something,” News4 said to M.J. Rymsza-Pawlowska, an associate history professor at American University.
“Neither will Thanksgiving, or Flag Day, or, you know,” Rymsza-Pawlowska answered.
A contrast with the 1976 Bicentennial
Rymsza-Pawlowska studies public history and wrote her doctoral dissertation on the 1976 Bicentennial. She told News4 the nation’s government-sponsored 200th birthday was different in one key way: The celebration was spread across the country.
President Gerald Ford was a major part of the day, addressing the nation twice on July 4, 1976, before watching fireworks from the White House balcony.
Ford’s speeches were part of a much larger national commemoration.
“Americans by 1976 had been organizing stuff for 10 to 15 years,” Rymsza-Pawlowska said.
There were thousands of official celebrations that year, many of them funded by the U.S. government. Records show just shy of $20 million was funneled to states and local governments for Bicentennial events. In today’s dollars, that is more than $116 million.
The events ranged from major fireworks in Washington to a wagon train across the country, a nationwide quilting collection, a community cleanup in Boston and other local commemorations.
Asked how this year is different, Rymsza-Pawlowska pointed to whose perspectives are reflected in the official celebration.
“The best types of commemorations are the ones that account for multiple perspectives and opinions,” she said. “I don’t think we see this year’s official commemorations doing that.”
Watchdog group calls spending unprecedented
Robert Weissman, co-president of the watchdog group Public Citizen, said the structure and tone of this year’s celebration are unprecedented.
“This taking of the public money to go to a private, partisan, MAGA-fueled enterprise never happened,” Weissman said.
Public Citizen researched where taxpayer dollars went and the corporate donations that followed. The group found $103 million in federal dollars in what it calls “politicized” spending on Freedom 250 signature events, many involving Trump and his allies.
“The whole Freedom 250 exercise is a hijacking of what Congress had planned for the 250th celebration, which was a nonpartisan celebration of America, our history, looking forward, a coming-together moment,” Weissman said.
Freedom 250 is promoting 16 patriotic ways to celebrate, including the Great American State Fair, the president’s trip to Mount Rushmore, the IndyCar race around the National Mall and what Trump has called the world’s largest fireworks show ever.
Weissman said the events amount to a political production.
“It’s a MAGA Trump pep rally. And he has said so,” he said.
The News4 I-Team asked Freedom 250 for an interview about Public Citizens’ concerns over alleged partisan events and private donors.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the group said: “As we approach this historic milestone in our nation’s founding, we will not be deterred by any partisan outrage or political theater. The President is deeply grateful for the support of his donors, but unlike the politicians of the past, he can’t be bought. Freedom250 is sparking a unifying movement that celebrates the American spirit and showcases our nation at its best.”
Who does July Fourth belong to?
Rymsza-Pawlowska said the core question is who sees themselves in the country’s 250th birthday celebration.
“July 4th should belong to everyone?” she said.
She worries some Americans will not see themselves reflected in this year’s official events.
“What commemorations do best is they force us to take a pause and to really stop and think not only how far we’ve come, but how far also we have to go,” Rymsza-Pawlowska said.
America250 declined to discuss specific funding levels with the I-Team.
But the congressionally created organization said this week: “We are grateful for all the support we’ve received from Congress, and from private organizations and continue to work to raise the funds we need to complete our work on a celebration that is worthy of the anniversary it commemorates.”
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