“America is Back”: Trump Opens Great American State Fair With Flyovers and National Mall Speech
Trump kicks off the Freedom 250 celebration on the National Mall, likening his movement to the patriots of 1776 as B-2 bombers and F-35 jets roar overhead.
WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump kicked off the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, declaring “America is back” as military jets thundered over a crowd gathered in the nation’s capital.
The opening ceremony marked the start of the Freedom 250 celebration, a run-up to the 250th anniversary of the United States. It featured B-2 bombers, F-35 stealth fighter jets and the U.S. Marine Band, by mentioning the source (see foxnews).
“America is back,” Trump told the crowd. “We’re the hottest country anywhere in the world. We’re respected by everybody. Nobody’s laughing at us anymore.”
Trump framed the anniversary as both a tribute to the founding and a launchpad for a new “golden age of America.” He tied his political movement to the American Revolution before a roaring audience on the Mall.
Here is the full post on Truth Social: ““America is back”: Trump kicks off Great American State Fair with flyovers, patriotic National Mall speech: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/america-back-trump-kicks-off-great-american-state-fair-flyovers-patriotic-national-mall-speech” on July 13, 2026 at 9:07 AM ET.
This is the first message released by Trump today. On average, Trump produces about 30 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
“Just like those patriots of 1776, over the past 17 months, we have taken power back from the far off political class,” Trump said at the ceremony, according to the shared report (see foxnews). He said the country had “reclaimed our sovereignty, regained our liberty, restored our prosperity, and we have saved our country in all things.”
Trump used the address to tout changes to Washington. He said homeless encampments and graffiti had been removed, more than 50 monuments and memorials had been repaired, and dozens of statues cleaned since he returned to office. He pointed to repairs at Union Station, Meridian Hill Park, Lafayette Square and the Reflecting Pool, which he said had been “gruesomely vandalized by thugs.”
The fair runs through July 10 and showcases all 50 states and six U.S. territories across 150 exhibits. It includes military flyovers, patriotic music, high-tech demonstrations, a FIFA fan zone and what Trump described as an “old fashioned rodeo” (see foxnews). He previewed a Fourth of July celebration he promised would feature “the largest fireworks display in world history.”
The event drew House Speaker Mike Johnson, several Cabinet officials and what Trump described as “countless” members of Congress. The president called the opening “a very special night.”
For the average reader, the fair means weeks of free public exhibits and events on the National Mall through the summer, alongside road closures and heightened security tied to the Freedom 250 programming in the capital.
Has this happened before? This has happened before. Trump opened his first address to a joint session of Congress in his second term with the same phrase, declaring “America is back” as Republicans chanted in the House chamber in March 2025 (see indiatimes.com). He tied that speech to the “dawn of the golden age of America,” the same theme he returned to on the Mall.
The next milestone is the Fourth of July celebration Trump previewed, when he said he would return to speak as the country marks its 250th year, followed by the fair’s close on July 10, 2026.
National birthday spectacles staged by presidents are not new, as happened before. President Ronald Reagan presided over Liberty Weekend in July 1986, a four-day event centered on the rededication of the Statue of Liberty. It drew an estimated crowd of millions to New York Harbor and featured tall ships, fireworks and a ceremony naturalizing new citizens. The event, timed to the statue’s centennial, cemented Reagan’s image as a booster of American renewal heading into the final years of his presidency.
The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 13 of his 514 posts over the last 30 days focused on reposts and external links.
Source: Zenger real-time database of all Truth Social posts.
Note: Chart generated on July 13, 2026 at 9:12 AM ET
Source: Zenger analysis
Note: Table generated by https://zenger.news on July 13, 2026 at 9:12 AM ET