Fireworks explode above the White House during the UFC Freedom 250 fights on the South Lawn, in Washington, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
President Donald Trump announced a July 4 rally at the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument at which he will speak. He also promised flyovers, airshows and what he called the “LARGEST FIREWORKS SHOW IN HISTORY.”
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The Independence Day rally appears to supplant Trump’s earlier suggestion that he hold a rally on the Mall on June 24 as part of America’s 250th birthday celebration. The June 24 event will instead serve as a kickoff concert for the “Great American State Fair.”
“We are going to host the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all,” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.
Trump said more than 300 members of military bands, orchestras and ceremonial units will perform patriotic songs, American classics and selections from his own playlist at the July 4 rally.
“This ensemble will be the largest formation of Joint Military Music and Ceremonial performances in History. There will be incredible Flyovers and Airshows featuring our Top Military Pilots and Equipment, and I will deliver keynote remarks that you will not want to miss,” Trump said in a social media post.
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“We will have none of those people that put you to sleep and constantly complain!” Trump added.
The line appeared to reference the fallout over Freedom 250’s original concert lineup. A majority of the artists initially announced for the Great American State Fair concert series dropped out shortly after the lineup was released. Some artists said they were told the event would be nonpartisan or did not want to be associated with a politically charged celebration.
The fair has also run into problems with states. At least six states do not plan to send official delegations to the 16-day event, with some officials citing cost, timing and concerns about politicization.
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