America250, the organization coordinating Trump-endorsed activities related to next year’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, has released a little more information on President Trump’s planned visit to the Iowa State Fairgrounds. But only a little more.
CBS News broke the news of Trump’s plan to come to the fairgrounds early this month. At the time, the White House, the Iowa State Fair and America250 had no comment. But now America250 has a very brief description of the “monumental celebration” which will mark the beginning of “a new era of American greatness.”
According to America250, the event is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 3, and Trump will speak at 7:30 p.m. (As anyone who has attended a Trump event knows, he typically takes the stage later than the scheduled time and then spends the next five to 10 minutes gyrating to songs on the playlist he’s been using for the past decade.)
“This momentous gathering in the heartland signals the beginning of an extraordinary year ahead — one where America250 will unite our nation through events in every state and territory, culminating in the most monumental celebration our Country has ever known,” America250 said.
And that’s pretty much it. America250 does say the “monumental celebration” (it uses that phrase twice) will be “offering patriotism, excitement, inspiration, and a glimpse into the grand festivities planned for America’s 250th anniversary,” but it doesn’t offer any details about the“patriotism, excitement, [and] inspiration” it’s promising. The Iowa State Fair doesn’t have any information about the event on its site or on its social media accounts.
Whatever Trump’s event turns out to be, it won’t be the Great American State Fair, the 250th celebration he first announced as a candidate in 2023. Trump described the Great American State Fair as a year-long exhibition at the Iowa State Fairgrounds starting on Memorial Day this year, which would “showcase the glory of every state in the union, promote pride in our history and put forth innovative visions for America’s future.” Despite mentioning it several times during his last campaign, it appears that Trump’s team did nothing to make it happen. Following Trump’s election victory last year, the CEO of the Iowa State Fair told the Des Moines Register, “no formal request or inquiry has been made for use of the Iowa State Fairgrounds at this time.”
The America250 site doesn’t mention the Great American State Fair, and the only mention of it on the Iowa State Fair site is a disclaimer explaining the fair “is not affiliated with a proposed Great American State Fair event, nor is the Iowa State Fair involved in planning an America 250 celebration.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated since it was first published to correct a misstatement about the time of the event.
