Trump announces 'grand celebration' for nation's 250th birthday

President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday putting into motion plans for a “grand celebration” to honor the nation’s 250th birthday next year, including the revival of his proposed “Garden of American Heroes” and potentially other events such as a Great American State Fair and games for high school athletes.

The executive order created a task force that will be chaired by Mr. Trump with Vice President J.D. Vance serving as vice chair. All Cabinet-level officials will be members of the committee, dubbed Task Force 250, along with other officials such as the director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the chairs of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. 

The task force will coordinate with local and state officials to plan a “Salute to America 250” celebration, with events starting as early as Memorial Day. 

“It is the policy of the United States, and a purpose of this order, to provide a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4, 2026. It is also the purpose of this order to take actions to honor the history of our great nation,” the order reads. 

The order revives Mr. Trump’s plan to build a “National Garden of American Heroes” with statutes memorializing 250 historical figures and to commission artists for the first 100. Samuel Adams, Muhammad Ali, Elvis Presley, Harriet Tubman, Whitney Houston and Ronald Reagan were among those on the list to be included.

In a 2020 speech celebrating Independence Day at Mount Rushmore, Mr. Trump first announced plans to build what he described as “a new monument to the giants of our past.” 

A site was never selected and the proposed garden was never funded by Congress. President Biden abolished the task force that Mr. Trump had formed to create the monument. 

Mr. Trump had proposed the garden amid conservative backlash over efforts to remove statutes dedicated to slave owners in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. 

During the 2024 campaign, Mr. Trump outlined his plans for a year-long “Salute to America 250” celebration, though the executive order does not mention any of the ideas he proposed. 

Mr. Trump last year said he wanted the festivities to include a year-long “Great American State Fair” in Iowa that would feature pavilions to showcase “the glory of every state in the Union” and “promote pride in our history and put forth innovative visions for America’s future.” 

He also said he wanted to create sports contests featuring high school athletes from across the country who would show off the best of American “skill, sportsmanship, and competitive spirit.” Mr. Trump had dubbed the events the “Patriot Games.”

The executive order also reinstated orders that Mr. Trump signed during his first term to protect American monuments during unrest and violence during the George Floyd protests.

Under the earlier orders, the attorney general was required to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law any person or group responsible for destroying or vandalizing a monument, memorial or statue. It also called for the maximum prosecution of anyone who incited violence and threatened state and local law enforcement agencies with the loss of federal funds if they failed to protect monuments.