DC military parade to salute 250 years of Army service
Fox News anchor Gillian Turner and correspondent Lucas Tomlinson preview the military parade commemorating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary on ‘The Big Weekend Show.’
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump is kicking off America’s monthslong birthday bash celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country's founding with a new nonpartisan organization dubbed Freedom 250 that will lead the administration's celebrations, Fox Digital learned.
The year "2026 will mark a celebration of America unlike anything we have ever done and I am grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to execute his vision for Freedom 250," Keith Krach, former undersecretary of state under the first Trump administration, who was named CEO of Freedom 250, said in a press release of the new organization.
"By working alongside states, businesses, and organizations across the country, Freedom 250 will reignite the pioneering spirit that defines America to strengthen the foundation for the next 250 years of independence, opportunity, and freedom."
The new initiative brings together states, companies and organizations to plan and participate in events celebrating the nation's 250th birthday "by mobilizing partners and communities in all 50 states and around the world," Fox News Digital learned. It will work in coordination with the America 250 Task Force, federal departments, and the America 250 Commission to plan and deliver on the events nationwide.
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Freedom 250 is a new public-private partnership to unveil patriotic events nationwide in honor of America's 250th birthday on July 4, 2026. (Alex Brandon - Pool/Getty Images)
"Celebrating the Triumph of the American Spirit," Freedom 250's website, launched on Thursday morning, declares of the group's focus.
The website touting the year of celebrations includes engaging Americans with videos crafted in-part by Hillsdale College, which tell "the remarkable story of American independence."
The site’s calendar is packed with patriotic events, including an ongoing freedom tour hitting all 50 states in the order they joined the Union. The tour features Cabinet officials and local and state leaders visiting schools to highlight America’s history.
The events will kick off with the Washington Monument illuminated from Dec. 31 through Jan. 5 that will mark "the start of this once-in-a-generation anniversary year."
Trump has been eyeing the 250th birthday for years and pledged on the 2024 campaign trail to celebrate it in grand fashion.
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"As a nation, we should be preparing for the most spectacular birthday party. We want to make it the best of all time," Trump said in a 2023 campaign video.
President Donald Trump is seen here at the America250 rally in Des Moines, Iowa. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The new website also offers "toolkits" showing Americans how to mark the milestone in their own communities, including a toolkit for teachers, one for state fairs and another tailored to rodeos.
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Another section highlights America’s natural beauty, 250 years of innovation and how many Americans say the nation’s fabric has been woven with prayer and faith.
The nation already has held a series of events tied to the 250th milestone, including a June 14 military parade Trump hosted in Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. Tanks rolled through the streets, military jets roared overhead and fireworks lit up the National Mall.
The parade fell on Flag Day, which also marked Trump’s 79th birthday.
Among the lengthy list of upcoming events celebrating the anniversary is the highly anticipated White House UFC fight, which first daughter Ivanka Trump is helping facilitate, Fox News Digital previously reported.
President Donald Trump, center, salutes passing troops during a parade to honor the Army's 250th anniversary on June 14, 2025, in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/AP)
"Every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honor of ‘America250,’ and I even think we’re going to have a UFC fight," Trump said in a speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in July of this year.
"Does anybody watch UFC? The great Dana White?" he continued. "We’re going to have a UFC fight. We’re going to have a UFC fight — think of this — on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there."
Trump ally and UFC CEO Dana White declared in August that the fight at the White House is "absolutely going to happen," previewing that it would be held in honor of the 250th anniversary of America's independence.
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In 2025 alone, Trump created a White House Task Force 250 by executive order, revived his 1776 Commission as a patriotic-education partner, and signed the massive "big beautiful bill" that steers tens of millions into initiatives focused on the birthday.
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