Celebration Of 250 Years Of American Independence at the Iowa State Fairgrounds

May 31, 2023

Mar-a-Lago, FL— In a new video, President Donald J. Trump pledged to honor America’s founding in 1776 with “Salute to America 250,” a one-year celebration of 250 years of American independence with Iowa at the center of the action.

“Three years from now, the United States will celebrate the biggest and most important milestone in our country’s history -- 250 years of American Independence,” President Trump said. “That’s why as a nation, we should be preparing for the most spectacular birthday party. We want to make it the best of all time.”

Once back in the White House, President Trump will work with America’s 50 governors to create the “Great American State Fair” in Iowa, host major sporting events with American high school athletes, and sign an executive order to construct a National Garden of American Heroes.

To showcase our great country, President Trump will invite leaders and citizens from around the world to visit the United States, and President Trump will ask America’s courageous religious communities to pray for our great nation.

CELEBRATING AMERICA WITH IOWA AT THE CENTER OF THE ACTION: President Trump pledges to honor America’s founding in 1776 with a full year of celebration. President Trump will:

- On Day One, convene a White House task force called “Salute to America 250,” responsible for coordinating with state and local governments to ensure an entire year of festivities across the country from Memorial Day 2025 to July 4th, 2026.

- Work with all 50 governors to create the Great American State Fair, a unique one-year exhibition featuring pavilions from all fifty states.

- “My hope is that the amazing people of IOWA will work with my administration to open up the legendary Iowa state fairgrounds to host the Great American State Fair and welcome millions and millions of visitors from around the world to the heartland of America for this special one-time festival.”

- Host major sporting contests for high school athletes to allow young Americans from every state to show off the best of American skill, sportsmanship, and competitive spirit.

- Sign an Executive Order on Day One to bring back the National Garden of American Heroes and commission artists for the first 100 statues to populate the new park.

- Invite the leaders and citizens of nations around the world to visit the United States in honor of the 250thanniversary.

- Ask America’s great religious communities to pray for our nation and our people as we prepare for this momentous occasion.

- Ask Americans to come together and rededicate ourselves as one nation under God as we chart a course toward the next 250 years of American history.

OFFERING AN INSPIRING AND UNIFYING VISION OF A SUCCESSFUL AMERICAN FUTURE: This plan builds on President Trump’s longstanding commitment to honor our nation’s 250th anniversary and offers Americans from every state in the Union the chance to come together and share innovative visions for a successful American future:

- In his first address to a joint session of Congress in February 2017, President Trump noted, “in 9 years the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding – 250 years since the day we declared our Independence.”

- In his remarks, President Trump outlined an optimistic vision for America grounded in a renewal of the American Spirit and expressed hope that “the 250th year for America will see a world that is more peaceful, more just, and more free.”

- President Trump stated, “When we fulfill this vision—when we celebrate our 250 years of glorious freedom—we will look back on tonight as when this new chapter of American Greatness began.”

- President Trump has promised to finish what he started and is once again proposing a bold, forward-looking agenda to restore American greatness.

- President Trump believes that the Great American State Fair will showcase the glory of every state in the Union, promote pride in our history, and put forth innovative visions for America’s future.

HONORING AMERICA’S HISTORY: Throughout his time in office, President Trump has consistently celebrated the glory of American Independence.

- During his time in office, President Trump honored our country’s founding in special remarks to the American people on Independence Day.

- On July 4, 2019, President Trump delivered “Salute to America” remarks at the Lincoln Memorial where he said, “With a single sheet of parchment and 56 signatures, America began the greatest political journey in human history.”

- In his 2020 “Salute to America” Independence Day remarks, President Trump stated, “Two hundred and forty-four years ago in Philadelphia, the 56 signers of our Declaration of Independence pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to boldly proclaim this eternal truth: that we are all made equal by God.”

- The President added, “Thanks to the courage of those patriots of July 4th, 1776, the American Republic stands today as the greatest, most exceptional, and most virtuous nation in the history of the world.”

- In his remarks at Mount Rushmore on July 3, 2020, President Trump noted, "Our Founders launched not only a revolution in government, but a revolution in the pursuit of justice, equality, liberty, and prosperity… It was all made possible by the courage of 56 patriots who gathered in Philadelphia 244 years ago and signed the Declaration of Independence. They enshrined a divine truth that changed the world forever when they said: '…all men are created equal.'"

- President Trump added, “1776 represented the culmination of thousands of years of western civilization and the triumph not only of spirit, but of wisdom, philosophy, and reason."

- In July 2020, the President took action to establish the National Garden of American Heroes, a statuary park that will memorialize our American heroes for generations to come.

- On September 17, 2020, Constitution Day, the President convened the first White House Conference on American History to address ongoing attempts to distort America’s history.

- During the conference, President Trump declared, “To grow up in America is to live in a land where anything is possible, where anyone can rise, and where any dream can come true — all because of the immortal principles our nation’s founders inscribed nearly two and a half centuries ago.”

- In November 2020, President Trump also created the 1776 Commission to improve understanding of the history and principles of our nation’s founding among America’s rising generations.

- In its “1776 Report”, the Commission stated, “As we approach the 250th anniversary of our independence, we must resolve to teach future generations of Americans an accurate history of our country so that we all learn and cherish our founding principles once again.”

TRANSCRIPT

Three years from now, the United States will celebrate the biggest and most important milestone in our country’s history -- 250 years of American Independence. What a great country. We have to keep it that way. But that’s why as a nation, we should be preparing for the most spectacular birthday party. We want to make it the best of all time. Here is my plan to give America’s founding in 1776 the incredible anniversary it truly deserves.

On Day One, I will convene a White House task force called “Salute to America 250”. It will be responsible for coordinating with state and local governments to ensure not just one day of celebration, but an entire year of festivities across the nation starting on Memorial Day 2025 and continuing through July 4th, 2026.

Second, I will work with all 50 Governors, Republican and Democrat alike, to create the Great American State Fair, a unique one-year exhibition featuring pavilions from all fifty states. It’ll be something. The Great American State Fair will showcase the glory of every state in the Union, promote pride in our history, and put forth innovative visions for America’s future.

My hope is that the amazing people of IOWA will work with my administration to open up the legendary Iowa state fairgrounds to host the Great American State Fair and welcome millions and millions of visitors from around the world to the heartland of America for this special one-time festival.

Together we will build it, and they will come.

Third, alongside the Great American State Fair, we will host major sporting contests for high school athletes. These are great athletes, wonderful athletes from fantastic high schools all around the country. These Patriot Games will allow young Americans from every state to show off the best of American skill, sportsmanship, and competitive spirit.

Fourth, I will sign an Executive Order to bring back our National Garden of American Heroes, which we want to build very badly, and commission artists for the first one hundred statues to populate this new statuary park honoring the greatest Americans of all time.

Fifth, as President, I will invite the leaders and citizens of nations around the world to visit the United States in honor of our 250th anniversary. It’s going to be great. America’s tourist industry should get ready because we’re going to have a lot of people coming. It will be a record year.

And finally, and most importantly, I ask America’s great religious communities to pray for our nation and our people as we prepare for this momentous occasion. From the very beginning, America has been a country sustained and strengthened by prayer and by our communities of faith. As we chart a course toward the next 250 years, let us come together and rededicate ourselves as one nation under God.

Thank you.