President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Wednesday to establish Task Force 250, a White House-led initiative coordinating the national celebration of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, Fox News Digital has learned.
The executive order outlines plans for a “grand celebration of the semiquincentennial of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence.” The milestone will mark 250 years since the nation’s founding on July 4, 1776.
The newly formed Task Force 250 will be responsible for organizing and overseeing federal agency efforts related to the anniversary celebrations.
The White House stated that the initiative draws inspiration from the U.S. Bicentennial Celebration of 1976, which emphasized national renewal and unity following a period of division.
“The 250th anniversary will afford an opportunity to unite the American people around their shared history and common future as a nation,” a White House official said.
In addition to establishing Task Force 250, the executive order will reinstate Trump-era initiatives originally signed in 2020 and 2021.
Among them is the creation of the National Garden of American Heroes, a statuary park dedicated to honoring 250 historically significant Americans.
The National Garden of American Heroes was first proposed during Trump’s first term in response to monuments and statues being vandalized or destroyed during nationwide protests.
The garden is expected to feature statues of influential figures, with the first 100 statues commissioned under the new order.
Additionally, Trump’s order will reinstate protections for American monuments, memorials, and statues to prevent their destruction or vandalism.
The White House emphasized that the new executive order is part of Trump’s longstanding commitment to celebrating America’s 250th anniversary and preserving the nation’s history.
Trump previously referenced the upcoming semiquincentennial during his first address to a joint session of Congress in February 2017, stating:
“In nine years, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding, 250 years since the day we declared our Independence.”
The executive orders being reinstated were originally signed during Trump’s first term in response to unrest and violence in cities, where monuments of American presidents and Founding Fathers were targeted and, in some cases, never restored.
As the country approaches July 4, 2026, Task Force 250 will work to ensure that the nation’s semiquincentennial is recognized with a historic and patriotic celebration.
