Congressional report accuses Trump of 'hostile takeover' of US 250th anniversary celebrations
An interim congressional report alleges Donald Trump hijacked the US 250th anniversary to serve his political agenda, enriching allies and promoting Christian nationalism, while also revealing other developments including refusal to renew the USMCA trade pact.
An interim report released by congressional Democrats, titled "From Vanity to Insanity: How the White House Cheated the American People Out of Their 250th Birthday," alleges that President Donald Trump orchestrated a "hostile takeover" of the United States' 250th anniversary celebrations. The document outlines a web of alleged corruption, wire fraud, and pay-to-play schemes conducted through a shadow corporation embedded within the National Park Foundation (NPF).
The report claims Trump used the anniversary to enrich political allies, harvest voter data, and promote Christian nationalist ideology. In 2016, Congress established the nonprofit America250 Foundation to plan the 2026 celebrations on a nonpartisan basis. However, under Trump, the White House launched a sustained pressure campaign to subsume the commission. When America250 leadership resisted demands to shift focus toward partisan campaign-style spectacles, the Trump administration created Freedom 250 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the congressionally chartered NPF.
By taking control of the NPF board and installing key campaign operatives such as Meredith O’Rourke and Chris LaCivita, the White House secured an opaque vehicle that enjoyed the NPF’s nonpartisan credibility and tax-exempt status while operating outside standard government transparency laws, the report finds.
Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) said: "I can’t, in my time here in Congress, remember anything even remotely like this: watching this trusted, venerable charity organization, the National Parks Foundation, literally be hijacked for a craven political agenda that tries to steal the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary and turn it into something that’s all about Trump."
Other developments reported include: Trump refused to renew the USMCA trade pact, opting instead for annual reviews; acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said prosecutors would focus on preventing pregnant non-citizens from giving birth in the US to acquire birthright citizenship; and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans a major address on the 250th anniversary surrounded by newly naturalized citizens.
