Why the Left is Pouting over Freedom 250

Leave a CommentWhy the Left is Pouting over Freedom 250Commentary, Government

There are two distinct organizations that have both been involved in the U.S. semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) celebrations, and understanding the difference requires a bit of background.

America250 is a congressionally created nonprofit that has spent nearly a decade planning community-focused celebrations for the nation’s 250th anniversary. Freedom 250 was created by executive order in early 2025, reflecting the Trump administration’s vision for larger, more theatrical events — producing the Great American State Fair currently running on the Mall through July 10. The two organizations have operated in parallel with limited coordination, competing for both funding and public attention. The White House says the two groups complement each other; critics in Congress disagree. The result is two simultaneous sets of celebrations that together reflect the scale and complexity of marking such a major national milestone.

America250 is the older, congressionally created entity. In 2015, looking ahead to the anniversary, Congress created a nonpartisan commission to orchestrate the celebrations, which in turn created a nonprofit called America250. It’s composed mostly of private citizens, along with several members of Congress and representatives from federal agencies. America250 appears to focus mainly on getting Americans involved in celebrations at the local level, such as attending synchronized nationwide block parties. It gathered — and recently sealed — a time capsule with contributions from every state, and is hosting a July Fourth concert in Los Angeles featuring the Smashing Pumpkins, Chris Stapleton, and Queen Latifah.

Freedom 250 is the organization actually running the State Fair on the Mall. Freedom 250 is an organization created by President Donald Trump to run his administration’s official events. Its creation caused tension with America250, the congressionally created group that was designed to plan the nation’s 250th anniversary. Freedom250 is a Trump-aligned nonprofit that has organized a plethora of 250th-anniversary events backed by the president.

So in short: America250 is the bipartisan, congressionally established nonprofit focused on grassroots and local-level commemorations, while Freedom250 is a Trump administration-aligned nonprofit that is producing the bigger, splashier events — including the Great American State Fair currently running on the Mall through July 10. The two organizations have operated in parallel, and at times in tension, throughout the anniversary planning process.

The Great American State Fair opened June 25 on the National Mall, billed as a showcase for all 56 states and territories. But around 11 states — Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, all controlled by Democrats — declined to participate. Most cited costs, with participation requiring states to fund their own staffing and exhibits, sometimes costing upwards of $100,000 or more.

Some went further: Oregon pointed to concerns that the event was shaping up to be a more partisan affair than originally presented. Several absent booths were filled by private companies or civic groups from those states instead. Vermont, notably, is the only Republican-governed state to decline involvement.

Pennsylvania did not initially take part, but on June 27, Pennsylvania’s two U.S. senators, Dave McCormick and John Fetterman, announced that a coalition of Pennsylvania organizations would represent the state in its booth. 

So Pennsylvania ended up with a presence at the fair — just not one organized by the state government itself.