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President Donald Trump has kicked off weeks of festivities celebrating America’s 250th birthday with a rally on the National Mall in the nation’s capital.<\/b><\/p>\n
The event featured a flyover by “some of the nation’s most iconic fighter jets and stealth bombers”, military bands, and a speech from the president.<\/p>\n
“Tonight, as we stand on the edge of our 250th year of independence, I am thrilled to declare that America is back,” Trump said at the rally. <\/p>\n
Trump announced his plans to headline the event after several musicians cancelled their performances citing concerns the celebrations had been politicised.<\/p>\n
“A short time ago we were a dead country,” the president said at the rally. “We were dead. Now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world, we’re respected by everybody.”<\/p>\n
Trump touted his record on immigration, drug prices, the economy and on foreign affairs, including in Iran and Venezuela.<\/p>\n
“For the first time in 3,000 years, we are finally going to have peace in the Middle East,” he told the crowd. <\/p>\n
A range of events have been planned to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, <\/b>including the rally on Wednesday tied to “The Great American State Fair” on the National Mall in Washington DC.<\/p>\n
Organisers say these festivities are to commemorate the anniversary, but certain events, including those funded by a body that supports Trump, are leading to questions around whether the celebrations could become politicised<\/a>.<\/p>\n America250, one of the groups planning celebrations, was established by Congress a decade ago to plan nonpartisan events. Freedom 250, another organisation also planning events, was created by Trump and is a public-private partnership.<\/p>\n Congress has reportedly allocated $150m (\u00a3112m) in federal funds for the birthday celebration. Millions of dollars more are apparently being spent by Freedom 250.<\/p>\n Both America250 and Freedom 250 are expected to host large events as part of the celebration – here is what you need to know.<\/p>\n The president said he will speak at “the greatest show of all” on the National Mall on the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n