Politics
Freedom 250’s fair on National Mall highlights conservative groups
The nation’s conservative advocacy groups will be well represented at the Great American State Fair, a two-week-long exposition celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary on the National Mall that is blessed by President Donald Trump and his allies.
The fair is organized by Freedom 250, a nonprofit set up by the president and his allies to promote the country’s semiquincentennial. Freedom 250 has clashed with — and overshadowed — America250, a bipartisan organization chartered by Congress a decade ago to prepare for the country’s anniversary.
Conservative organizations featured at the fair, according to a release sent on Friday by Freedom 250, include America Prays, a coalition of evangelical and other religious groups that calls for weekly prayer for the United States of America; the American Principles Project, a prominent political advocacy organization; and the Association of Mature American Citizens, which pitches itself as a rival to the AARP.
Joining them is Hillsdale College, a small Christian liberal arts school known for its conservative bent, and Focus on the Family, a prominent anti-LGBTQ+ ministry that describes its mission as one dedicated to fostering “marriages that go the distance, equip parents to raise great kids and put Jesus Christ at the center of homes worldwide.”
Some Democrats have charged that Trump has taken the bipartisanship out of the monumental anniversary. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) in February said that the administration was working to “hijack the country’s 250th anniversary and sell access, hide his donors and rewrite history.” Also in February, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) launched a probe into Freedom 250’s fundraising practices.
The fair will run from June 25 to July 10, “and transform the National Mall into a living showcase of America’s past, present, and future,” organizers announced on Friday.
“PRAY.COM is honored to be participating in the Great American State Fair as an opportunity to connect with people from across the country,” Steve Gatena, founder and CEO of Pray.com — one of the lead organizers of America Prays — said in a statement. “Our mission is to grow faith and cultivate community through technology, and we look forward to sharing resources that support prayer, encouragement, and spiritual well-being.”
None of the other organizations immediately responded to requests for comment.
Painter Scott LoBaido, whose website promotes a print of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani blowing up Manhattan, will also be doing live art at the fair, according to the Friday release.
Organizers said more than 100 states and institutions will be represented with booths at the fair. The event is also drawing companies with no specific political affiliation, from C-SPAN to Meta and tractor company John Deere.
“Americans have been arguing at the dinner table for 250 years and somehow still showed up to the same Fourth of July party,” Freedom 250 spokesperson Rachel Reisner said in a statement when asked about the conservative groups’ participation. “We’re not stopping now. The Great American State Fair, July 4 fireworks, the whole spectacular once-in-a-generation 250th anniversary blowout — it’s happening, and your neighbor with the opposing bumper sticker is going to be standing right next to you, probably enjoying it just as much. Freedom 250 is a celebration for America — which, last we checked, includes all of it. Every single star on that flag. See you there.”
But some states have chosen to sit out. At least six states — Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Oregon — will officially not be sending anyone to the fair, NOTUS reported on Thursday. Freedom 250 is bringing in other institutions from those states, the outlet wrote.
In May, several musical artists dropped out of planned performances at the fair after learning of its ties to Trump, prompting the president to announce plans to hold a political rally instead, scheduled for June 24.
“It will be special at every level — A Rally to end all Rallies!” he wrote on Truth Social last week. “We don’t want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep, we’ve told them all to stay home. All we want is you, me, a few speakers, and the Greatest Music ever played, the same Music you have listened to for years!”
Republicans are pointing to the World Cup in their persistent bid to force Democrats to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Millions of visitors from foreign countries have already begun their pilgrimage to the tournament, which kicked off this week.
“Hosting the World Cup is akin to having 78 Super Bowls in 38 days — a massive undertaking from a national security perspective,” the Senate GOP wrote in a post on X Friday. “Senate Democrats still let FISA 702 expire, hindering our ability to stop potential terror attacks before they happen.”
The law is all but certain to expire today as Congress remains in uproar over Trump’s appointment of Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence. Efforts to secure a short-term extension in the House and Senate both failed Thursday.
And if a terrorist attack happened at the World Cup? “It would be a lot of finger-pointing,” Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) told Blue Light News on Friday. “You should just pull out every stop right now to make sure that there are no problems.”
President Donald Trump announced plans to nominate the more palatable Jay Clayton for the full-time DNI job on Thursday, a choice that garnered immediate approval from Republican leadership.
Democrats, Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social, “are trying to take our national security hostage because of unrelated issues.”
But Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking member of the chamber’s Intelligence Committee, placed the blame for the stalemate squarely on Trump. Negotiations on a long-term extension were well on their way before Trump announced his Pulte pick.
“God forbid, as we move into the World Cup, that something would happen,” he told reporters Thursday. “But if something happens, it lies at the feet of the president.”
Young pushed back. The two-term senator disagreed with Trump’s call to tap Pulte for the interim nod, but he said Democrats are the ones passing up an opportunity to reauthorize the law.
“He could have also passed a 702 reauthorization that very night he uttered those words,” he said. “And he and others chose not to.”
Missouri is not launching a probe into pricing strategies employed by FIFA, a spokesperson from the state attorney general’s office told Blue Light News, as several states playing host to World Cup matches take the organization to task for allegedly misleading fans.
Colbey Stosberg, public affairs specialist at the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, said in a statement that the office is instead focusing on “the unfortunate opportunity it creates for scammers to exploit travelers and match attendees.”
Missouri’s Arrowhead Stadium will play host to four games during the World Cup group stage, as well as a round of 32 matchup and a quarterfinal. Argentina will take on Algeria next Tuesday, Kansas City’s first game of the tournament.
“We haven’t received any complaints about purportedly deceptive pricing strategies yet,” Stosberg said. “If we do happen to receive those, we will review the complaint and determine any appropriate actions to be taken.”
On Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a new investigation over allegations that FIFA misled fans into spending more money for seats with premium views, only to change the seating maps.
New York and New Jersey launched their own joint investigation into ticket pricing in May. And California Attorney General Rob Bonta sent a letter to FIFA, seeking information “to assess potential violations of California law.”
House Republicans have also endorsed the change, which means the Defense Department rebrand pushed by the Trump administration could become law this year…
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