WASHINGTON DC — Donald Trump held an event called the Great American State Fair on the National Mall. Military jets flew over the fair, and no Democrats attended. The US Marine Band performed the song YMCA at the event, which is scheduled to run for 16 days with representation from all 56 U.S. states and territories, though some opted not to send a delegation. A ferris wheel at the fair experienced power cuts on opening day.

A "Salute to America" celebration is scheduled for July 4 on the National Mall, and an IndyCar race called the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington DC is scheduled for August in Washington DC. Freedom 250 is described as a Trump-aligned initiative. Congress established the America250 commission more than a decade ago, with plans that included a time capsule with contributions from all 50 states, an essay contest for students, and an America's Block Party concert on July 4 featuring Queen Latifah, Chris Stapleton, and the Smashing Pumpkins.

Jon Lovett, a former Obama speechwriter, stated, "Congress had created the nonpartisan America 250 to celebrate the occasion, but Trump hijacked it by creating his own competing group called Freedom 250 which politicizes America's Independence Day." Jill Lepore, a professor of American history at Harvard University, said, "To be doing something is somehow to seem as if you're supporting Trump to some people, which is ridiculous. We should be able to have the nation's birthday without it somehow being an endorsement of this crazy man who happens to be in the White House." The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum opened on the National Mall in 1976.