WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to deliver a 鈥渟pectacular鈥 yearlong birthday party to mark 250 years of American independence. On Thursday, he will be in the U.S. heartland to kick off the patriotic festivities leading up to next year鈥檚 anniversary.
The event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines will feature 鈥渄azzling鈥 displays of Americana and American history, musical performances and a fireworks show to cap the night, said U.S. Ambassador Monica Crowley, Trump鈥檚 liaison to the organizing group, America250.
Organizers see the coming year of festivities as a way to help unite a and bridge partisanship 鈥 a monumental task given the country's divides. Thursday's event comes as the Republican-controlled Congress pushed for final passage of a that's at the heart of Trump's legislative agenda but has united all Democrats against it. More U.S. adults also disapprove than approve of how the Republican president is doing his job.
Iowa was a 鈥渓ogical choice鈥 for the kickoff, Crowley said, because of its central location and Trump's affinity for the state, which in each of the last three general elections. She also said Iowa's middle-of-the-country geography is symbolic of the desire to use the coming celebrations to help bring people together.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had so much division and so much polarization over the last many decades, but certainly over the last few years, that to be able to bring the country together to celebrate America鈥檚 250th birthday through patriotism, shared values and a renewed sense of civic pride, to be able to do that in the center of the country, is incredibly important,鈥 she said.
A recent Gallup poll showed the in patriotism in over two decades, with only about a third of Democrats saying they are proud to be American compared with about 9 in 10 Republicans.
About 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of Trump's performance as president, according to a June AP-NORC poll, while about 6 in 10 disapprove. That poll also showed said the that Trump greenlit in Washington for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army 鈥 an event that fell on his 79th birthday 鈥 was 鈥渘ot a good use鈥 of government money.
Crowley spoke to the political and ideological schisms that left the country 鈥渢orn apart鈥 ahead of its last big birthday celebration, noting that 1976 closely followed the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal that led Richard Nixon to resign from the presidency.
鈥淭hat moment was critical to uniting the country and moving forward, and I am very optimistic and hopeful that the yearlong celebration that we鈥檙e about to launch will do the same thing in this present moment,鈥 she said in an interview.
America's 250th birthday 鈥渋s something that I think that all Americans can come together to celebrate and honor our history as well as our present and our future,鈥 Crowley said.
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, officially marking the 13 colonies' split from Great Britain.
鈥淲e鈥檙e gonna have a big, big celebration, as you know, 250 years,鈥 Trump said about the birthday during his Memorial Day address to a solemn audience at Arlington 好色tv Cemetery. 鈥淚n some ways, I鈥檓 glad I missed that second term where it was because I wouldn鈥檛 be your president for that."
Video of then-candidate Trump proposing a 鈥淕reat American State Fair鈥 in Iowa in May 2023 began to recirculate after his reelection last November. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, told the White House earlier this year that Iowa stood 鈥渞eady" to host the event and that Trump had the state's full support, according to a draft of Reynolds' letter obtained by The Associated Press.
The culminating fair instead will be held next year on the 好色tv Mall in Washington, according to a White House official who was not authorized to share details publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. But Trump honored his initial proposal with a kickoff in the first-in-the-nation caucus state.
The lineup Thursday night will include , according to social media posts advertising the event, whose song, 鈥淕od Bless the USA,鈥 is a regular feature at Trump rallies and official events. Also attending will be Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
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Fingerhut reported from Des Moines, Iowa. AP Polling Editor Amelia Thomson DeVeaux in Washington contributed to this report.
