Trump plans National Mall rally as US 250th events turn political

Washington,UPDATED: Jun 24, 2026 16:42 IST

US President Donald Trump is set to host a rally on Wednesday on Washington's Mall as part of celebrations marking America's 250th anniversary. The event, which will feature a military flyover by stealth bombers, military bands, singer Lee Greenwood and a speech by Trump, comes as he tries to convince Americans ahead of the November midterm elections that the unpopular Iran war is behind him.

The rally is being presented as the start of weeks of events linked to "The Great American State Fair", centred on the 1776 founding of the United States. But Trump's appearance was announced only after several musicians, including Young MC, Martina McBride and the Commodores, cancelled their concerts over concerns that the event had become politicised.

Trump has openly promoted his role at the event. On social media, he wrote: "I am thinking about bringing the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World, the man who gets much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime, and he does so without a guitar, the man who loves our Country more than anyone else, and the man who some say is the Greatest President in History." In a video posted on Monday night, he called it "the biggest rally we've ever had" and said: "It's our music, our playlist. We don't have a lot of people boring you with songs you don't want to hear. We have the hottest people." On Tuesday afternoon, country singer Alexis Wilkins, the longtime girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, said on X that she would perform at the event.

The event comes at a time when Trump is trying to argue that he has improved the country, even as his approval rating remains at 37 per cent, according to the latest Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research poll. Oil prices have eased and the Strait of Hormuz has started to reopen after an interim deal to end the war with Tehran. But Democrats have criticised his handling of the 250th anniversary events. They say his repairs to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, and the algae outbreak that followed, show he is spending taxpayer money on vanity projects instead of the nation's legacy. Representative Jared Huffman said a Trump-linked group organising the anniversary was selling access to special interests and reshaping the country's founding to suit the president, based on documents he presented at a congressional hearing earlier this year. "It should be about bringing us together," Huffman said. "He's trying to make this 250th celebration all about him."

Trump's showmanship has also not eased broader concerns about his presidency. Only 33 per cent of US adults approve of his handling of the economy, while his favourability stands at 40 per cent on immigration and 34 per cent on Iran. Inflation remains higher than when Trump took office and has been rising faster than wages. The budget deficit is still on an upward path, keeping interest rates high. Investment in artificial intelligence is supporting growth, but it has also raised fears about middle-class job losses, making the construction of data centres politically controversial.

The president has also stirred disputes over tariffs, NATO, immigration, ownership of Greenland and his renovations of prominent buildings and monuments in Washington, creating fresh controversy even as the administration points to developments such as the capture of Venezuela's former leader Nicolas Maduro. James Snyder, a Harvard University professor involved in research on Trump's past rallies, said they have helped turn out his supporters in the short term, but added that Wednesday's event is unlikely to deliver a broader electoral gain. "I would not expect that the rally would have any clear effect on the 2026 midterm elections," Snyder said. Overall, the rally is meant to launch the country's 250th anniversary celebrations while also giving Trump a major public stage at a politically difficult time.

With PTI Inputs

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