NOW FIELD OVER HOW TO BEST MARK AMERICA'S BIRTHDAY THIS FOURTH OF JULY WILL MARK 250 YEARS SINCE ITS FOUNDING BUT YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS TASKED WITH SELLING THE CELEBRATIONS ARE IN A DISPUTE THE ATLANTIC JOURNALIST HAS BEEN CLOSELY MONITORING HOW IT IS UNFOLDING IN WHAT HE CALLS AMERICA'S UGLY BIRTHDAY BATTLE AS HE MICHELLE MARTIN.

>> THANK YOU FOR TALKING WITH US.

YOU HAVE BEEN COVERING THIS ISSUE AROUND FESTIVITIES AND HOW WE WILL ACKNOWLEDGE AND CELEBRATE AMERICA'S 250th.

BEFORE WE GET INTO THE CONFLICTS TELL US THE ORIGINAL IDEA.

IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING CONGRESS CREATED THE COMMISSION A DECADE AGO.

>> YOUR VIEWERS MIGHT REMEMBER THE BICENTENNIAL WITH PRESIDENT FORD COMING OUT OF WATERGATE AND THERE WERE NATIONWIDE CELEBRATIONS REMEMBERED FOR YEARS AFTERWARDS IN 2016 CONGRESS SAW THE 250th COMING UP A QUARTER MILLENNIA AND DECIDED TO FUND A SIMILAR CELEBRATION WITH THE IDEA TO COME UP WITH EVENTS AND BRANDING GET THE AMERICAN PEOPLE INVOLVED ALL KINDS OF THINGS LIKE THAT AND THEN THE PLANNING PROCEEDED EIGHT YEARS UNTIL PREISDENT TRUMP WAS REELECTED AND WHEN HE WAS REELECTED HE WAS ON A PLATFORM THAT INCLUDED HIS OWN IDEAS FOR WHAT THE COUNTRY SHOULD BE DOING FOR AMERICA'S 250th CELEBRATION AND THAT'S WHERE THE CURRENT STORY BEGINS.

>> AMERICA 250 AND FREEDOM 250 IS AMERICA'S --PREISDENT TRUMP'S IDEA WHAT WAS HIS VISION?

>> THE TEAM WANTED TO WORK WITH CONGRESSIONAL GROUPS SO FREEDOM 250 COMES INTO EXISTENCE LATE LAST YEAR, THE VISION HE HAD HE WAS INTERESTED IN BIG SPECTACULAR EVENTS.

HE TALKED DURING THE CAMPAIGN OF THE GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR WITH THE PLANNING IN IOWA INVOLVING 50 STATES PARTICIPATING.

HE HAS TALKED ABOUT PATRIOT GAMES HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS WITH THE GARDEN OF AMERICAN HEROES.

OBVIOUSLY HE WANTS A BIG PARTY IN WASHINGTON FOR THE FOURTH OF JULY.

OVER THE COURSE OF THE FIRST YEAR OF HIS PRESIDENCY PLANS SHIFTED THE IOWA STATE FAIR IDEA WAS NOT PRACTICAL SO HE TOOK OVER A CELEBRATION OF THE NATIONAL MALL PLAN BY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION AND THEN HE HAD A BUNCH OF OTHER RANDOM EVENTS, THE UFC FIGHT ON HIS BIRTH DAY WE HAVE THE INDYCAR RACE.

A NUMBER OF CABINET AGENCIES ARE DOING FREEDOM 250 EVENTS WITH EMBASSIES AROUND THE WORLD DURING THEIR, BANNERS WITH HIS FACE ON A HAVE BEEN UNFURLED ACROSS BUILDINGS ACROSS D.C., PARK EMPLOYEES ARE TOLD TO WEAR FREEDOM 250 PINS SO AS WE GET CLOSER THE PLANS HAVE STARTED TO EXPAND AND THE PRESIDENT HAS INCREASINGLY PUT HIS MARK ON THEM.

>> WHAT HAPPENED TO THE AMERICA 250 THIS WAS A BIPARTISAN EFFORT RIGHT?

THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THE DEMOCRATS OR REPUBLICANS DREAMED UP THE AMERICA 250 COMMITTEE ALL OF IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN BIPARTISAN SO WHAT HAPPENED?

>> AT THE VERY BEGINNING THEY WERE GETTING ALONG THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF 2025.

THE PRESIDENT TELLS AMERICA 250 HE WANTS TO HAVE A NUMBER OF EVENTS TO SET OFF A YEAR OF CELEBRATIONS INCLUDING A VISIT TO FORT BRAGG TO CELEBRATE THE ARMY'S 250th BIRTHDAY AND HE WANTS A PARADE ON HIS BIRTHDAY IN WASHINGTON D.C.

TO CELEBRATE THE ARMY 250th.

THERE WERE SOME OTHER SPEAKING BIPARTISAN GROUP SAID SURE WE WILL WORK WITH YOU.

THEY ALLOWED PREISDENT TRUMP TO RAISE MONEY FROM PRIVATE DONORS THROUGH AMERICA 250 APPARATUS SO COMPANIES LIKE COIN BASE OR OTHERS PAID FOR THE PARADE GIVING MONEY TO AMERICA 250 AND THEY WORK TOGETHER TO GET 150 MILLION IN APPROPRIATION AS PART OF THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT.

AND THEN JULY LAST YEAR THE PRESIDENT GOES TO IOWA TO KICK OFF THE CELEBRATION AND AT THE SPEECH SAYS SPEAKING OF CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS I HATE THEM.

>> ALL THE THINGS WE HAVE GIVEN AND THEY WOULD NOT VOTE BECAUSE THEY HATES TRUMP BUT I HATE THEM TOO I REALLY DO.

AND HE WAS PARTICULARLY UPSET BUT THAT WAS RATHER ALARMING FOR THE AMERICAN 250 SUPPORTERS AS PEOPLE WERE WAVING SIGNS IN THE AUDIENCE WHEN THAT HAPPENED IN THE EVENT WAS PAID FOR BY AMERICA 250 SO IT BEGAN THE PROCESS WHERE AMERICA 250 ORGANIZERS SAID WE ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THIS BECOMING POLITICAL WHY DON'T WE MAKE IT SO YOU FOCUS ON CERTAIN EVENTS AND WE WILL FOCUS ON OTHER EVENTS AND WE AGREE ON HOW TO DIVIDE THE MONEY CONGRESS HAS APPROPRIATED LATE SUMMER 2025 THEY CAME TO AN AGREEMENT ABOUT THE PROGRAMMING HOW THE MONEY WOULD BE DIVIDED AND WITHIN MONTHS THE AGREEMENT HAD FALLEN APART.

>> WHY DIDN'T FALL APART?

IS IT ABOUT THE MONEY OR JUST TO BE BLUNT THAT PREISDENT TRUMP DOES NOT PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS?

>> MONEY WAS A BIG PART OF IT AS THE PLANS FOR CELEBRATIONS EXPANDED IT BECAME CLEAR HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO RAISE THE MONEY HE WANTED THAT WAS BUDGETED FROM PRIVATE SOURCES AND THERE WAS A $150 MILLION POT SO INITIALLY WHEN THE BILL PASSES THE WORKING AGREEMENT IS 100 AND MILLION GOES TO AMERICA 250 AND 50 MILLION GOES TO THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECTS.

LATE LAST YEAR THAT FLIPPED AND AMERICA 250 ONLY GETS 50 MILLION, THEY SIGNED A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT AND UNDER THE AGREEMENT THE INTERIOR WOULD TRANSFER 50 MILLION TO THE AMERICA 250 FOR PROGRAMMING DOWN FROM THE HOPE OF 100.

AND EVEN THAT FALLS APART WITH 25 MILLION TRANSFERRED IN EARLY JANUARY BUT THE OTHER 25 MILLION NEVER COMES IN WHEN I WENT TO THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT IN THE WHITE HOUSE TO ASK WHY HAVE YOU BROKEN THE AGREEMENT THEY STARTED QUESTIONING THE SPENDING OF AMERICA 250 AND STARTED ATTACKING THEIR INTEGRITY.

THIS IS WASTEFUL, CONSULTANTS WERE TAKING THE MONEY , THEY'RE NOT GOING TO LIKE THE MONEY ON FIRE.

IRONICALLY SUPPORTERS OF AMERICA 250 SAY FREEDOM 250 IS DOING THAT, THE TRUMP CONSULTANTS AND CAMPAIGN VENDORS WERE TAKING IN THE MONEY TO THE FREEDOM 250 PLANNING EFFORTS SO NOW WE HAVE THIS WAR OF WORDS BETWEEN THE GROUPS WHO BOTH SAY THEY'RE FOCUSED ON UNITING THE COUNTRY OVER THE COMING WEEKS TO CELEBRATE THE NATION'S BIRTHDAY.

>> LET'S GO BACK TO THE FACT THE AMERICA 250 GROUP IS BIPARTISAN SET UP TO BE A PARTISAN.

THERE ARE REPUBLICAN MEMBERS SO WHAT DID THEY SAY ABOUT THIS?

A LOT OF THEM ARE INVOLVED AND SOME OF THEM AS I UNDERSTAND, THE COMMISSIONERS WERE TRUMP SUPPORTERS.

>> THERE ARE TWO TIERS, ELECTED LEADERS AND THE EXECUTIVE BOARD MADE UP OF APPOINTEES OF THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC LEADERS OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE SO THE SPEAKER GETS A CERTAIN NUMBER AND THE MINORITY LEADER GETS A CERTAIN NUMBER OF APPOINTEES.

REPUBLICANS THE MEMBERS HAVE EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT MONEY NEVER BEEN DELIVERED, LISA MURKOWSKI WHO HAS BEEN VERY INVOLVED THE SENATOR FROM ALASKA QUESTIONED BERG HIM ABOUT WHY THE 25 MILLION HAD NOT BEEN DELIVERED THE INTERIOR SECRETARY.

BERG HIM BASICALLY SAID IT'S NOT UP TO ME THE WHITE HOUSE IS HANDLING THIS I WILL TALK TO THEM AND FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON THIS IS A WHITE HOUSE MATTER.

SO THERE IS CONCERN FROM ELECTED REPUBLICANS AND THEN APPOINTED MEMBERS THERE IS FRUSTRATION ABOUT THE ATTACKS ON BASIC INTEGRITY ON THEIR ABILITY TO HANDLE PUBLIC MONEY WITH A LOT OF ANGER FROM BOTH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS INSIDE OF AMERICA 250 AT ANY SUGGESTION THAT ANYTHING THEY'RE DOING IS DIVISIVE OR PARTISAN OR NOT LOOKING OUT FOR THE TAXPAYER WHOSE MONEY THEY ARE SPENDING.

BUT THERE IS NOT MUCH HAPPENING IN PUBLIC BECAUSE WE ARE A WEEK AWAY OR SO FROM THE PINNACLE OF CELEBRATIONS AND WE WILL HAVE AMERICA 250 EVENTS IN NEW YORK PHILADELPHIA LOS ANGELES LOTS OF SMALLER EVENTS ARE IN THE COUNTRY WITH OTHER FREEDOM 250 EVENTS WITH CELEBRATIONS IN THE WASHINGTON AREA BEING PUT ON BY FREEDOM 250 SO EVERYONE IS BITING THEIR TONGUE TO SEE IF WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS.

>> ARE THEY?

ATTENTION WHO MAY NOT BE FOLLOWING THIS CLOSELY WAS THE CONCERT THAT THE PRESIDENT WANTED TO PUT ON FREEDOM 250 AND A NUMBER OF ENTERTAINERS WELL ACTUALLY I THINK MOST OF THEM WITHDREW, THEY WITHDREW WITHIN DAYS IN SOME CASES HOURS HAVING BEEN ANNOUNCED.

TELL US WHAT HAPPENS AND WHY DID IT UNFOLD THAT WAY?

>> ONE OF THE REMARKABLE THINGS ABOUT FREEDOM 250 IS THEY HAVE DONE EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO MIMIC AMERICA 250 IN ALMOST EVERY WAY, AMERICA 250 HAS A PRETTY EXTENSIVE ONLINE STORE WHERE YOU CAN PRINT MERCHANDISE, FREEDOM 250 MIRRORS THAT EXACTLY WITH ALMOST EVERY PIECE OF MERCHANDISE WITH THE AMERICA 250 LOGO YOU CAN GET WITH THE FREEDOM 250 LOGO THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN VENDORS ARE PRODUCING THE ITEMS SO I THINK THERE WAS A LOT OF CONFUSION, THIS EVENT ON THE NATIONAL MALL WAS ORIGINALLY SMITHSONIAN, WHEN THE PRESIDENT REALIZED HE COULD NOT HAVE HIS YEAR-LONG STATE FAIR HE MOVED IT TO THE NATIONAL MALL TO MAKE IT A FEW WEEKS AND TOLD THE SMITHSONIAN I WILL USE YOUR PERMIT REPLACING WHAT WOULD'VE BEEN THE SMITHSONIAN FESTIVAL AND AS PART OF IT LIKE ANY OTHER STATE FAIR THERE WOULD BE MUSICAL ACTS, THE MEMO NEVER GOT TO THE MUSICAL ACTS THAT THIS WAS NOT THE GOVERNMENT PUTTING IT ON ANYMORE OR A BIPARTISAN COMMISSION IT WAS THE PRESIDENT'S TEAM AND THIS NEW NONPROFIT CALL AMERICA 250.

ONCE THEY REALIZED THAT WITH THE POLITICAL OVERTONES THEY STARTED TO BACK OUT THE PRESIDENT BECAME UPSET CANCELED THE MUSICAL ACTS OR CONFIRMED HE WOULD HOLD A KICKOFF RALLY INSTEAD THAT HE WOULD CALL THE MAGA POLITICAL TRUMP RALLY.

>> SO HERE IS THE THING I AM CURIOUS ABOUT .

WHY?

DID HE JUST HAVE A DIFFERENT VISION OF WHAT HE THINKS THE CELEBRATION SHOULD BE ABOUT?

>> A LOT OF IT IS SIMILAR ON THE OUTSIDE AND THE DIFFERENCES ARE IMPORTANT TO SOME PEOPLE.

TRUMP IS AT THE CENTER OF FREEDOM 250 THE BANNER SHOW HIS FACE RIGHT NOW.

TRUMP WILL BE THE STAR ATTRACTION OF THE NEW CONCERT AS OPPOSED TO THE MUSICAL ACTS .

THERE HAS ALSO BEEN MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED BY FREEDOM 250 THAT GIVES A PLAYBOOK FOR OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY TO HAVE THEIR OWN CELEBRATION AND IN THAT PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED TO FOCUS ON ELECTION INTEGRITY AND SCHOOL CHOICE AND CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN ISSUES SO THE WAYS IN WHICH THERE ARE POLITICAL OVERTONES ADDED MAKE IT CONTROVERSIAL IN THE NATIONAL MALL THERE IS A SMALLER MODEL OF THE TRIUMPHAL ARCH THAT DEMOCRATS OPPOSE.

THAT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THERE IF AMERICA 250 WAS DURING THE EVENT.

LIKE I SAID NOBODY WOULD HAVE GUESSED THE AMERICA 250 EVENT THE PRESIDENT WOULD SAY I HATE DEMOCRATS >> THE FUNDING WAS ALREADY APPROPRIATED SO HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THE PRESIDENT CAN JUST DECIDE NOT TO SPEND IT?

>> THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF FUNDING, ANNUAL APPROPRIATION WERE 10 OR 15 MILLION STARTING IT SOUGHT SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION.

A ONE-TIME PAYMENT TO PAY FOR THE EVENTS THIS YEAR AND THAT WAS ADDED TO THE ONE BIG PITIFUL BILL ACT, THAT WAS PASSED BY THE WHITE HOUSE WITH REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS AND THE WAY THE LAW WAS WRITTEN IT SAID $150 MILLION WILL BE SPENT ON THE CELEBRATIONS AND HE DID NOT NAME THE ORGANIZATION THAT WOULD GET THE MONEY SO THAT GAVE INTERIOR AND THE WHITE HOUSE POWER OVER HOW IT WAS SPENT.

>> SO CONGRESS HAS NO RECOURSE THEY APPROPRIATE THE MONEY, MANY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WERE THERE 10 YEARS AGO WHEN THE COMMISSION WAS ESTABLISHED I WAS JUST WONDERING IF ANY OF THEM ARE GOING TO SAY ANYTHING.

>> CONGRESS RECOURSE THEIR LEVERAGE HIS FUTURE APPROPRIATION SO THEY HAVE THE LEVERAGE AND IT IS WILL HAVE A LAWSUIT ABOUT THE INTERIOR NOT GIVING THE SECOND HALF OF THE 50 MILLION THEY AGREED TO SO THAT'S ANOTHER AVENUE OF RECOURSE.

THE THIRD THING TO MENTION IS DEMOCRATS HAVE BEGUN THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION.

IF DEMOCRATS WERE CAME CONGRESS IN NOVEMBER IT'S VERY POSSIBLE NEXT YEAR YOU HAVE HEARINGS AND INVESTIGATION ABOUT HOW THE MONEY WAS SPENT, WHERE DID THE MONEY GO, THERE'S A LOT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT WHERE THE MONEY IS MOVING AROUND AND HOW THE ORGANIZATIONS ARE SPENDING IT AND IT'S POSSIBLE DEMOCRATS WIN CONTROL OF THE HOUSE AND DECIDE TO MAKE THIS AN ISSUE NEXT YEAR.

>> BACK TO THE REPUBLICANS WHO HAVE BEEN PARTICIPANTS ALL ALONG.

INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH KELLY AND CONWAY A VERY CLOSE TRUMP SHE IS THE AMERICA 250 COMMISSIONER AND SHE SAYS THE BIRTHDAY PARTY WILL BE EPIC AND SHE HAS WITNESSED MORE COLLABORATION THAN CONFRONTATION.

IS THAT SPIN OR HOW DO YOU HEAR THAT?

>> HER ROLE IS THE BRIDGE BUILDER BECAUSE SHE IS CLOSE TO THE PRESIDENT AND SHE HAS TRIED TO LOWER THE TENSIONS AND SHE WAS TRYING TO DO IT WHEN I SPOKE TO HER AS WELL.

TRYING TO DEEMPHASIZE THE DIVIDE.

THERE IS STILL HOPE FROM PEOPLE IN THE AMERICA 250 COMMISSION THAT TRUMP WILL ATTEND SOME OF THEIR EVENTS.

WE DO NOT HAVE ANY INDICATION THAT WILL HAPPEN AND I DOUBT IT WILL HAPPEN BUT WE DON'T KNOW HOW IT PLAY OUT AND WE DO NOT KNOW HOW THE PRESIDENT WILL BEHAVE OVER THE NEXT WEEK AND A HALF.

HE HAS TWO BIG SPEAKING EVENTS ON JULY 4, HE COULD MAKE UNIFYING SPEECH IS ABOUT CELEBRATING THE COUNTRY AND BRING IN THE COUNTRY TOGETHER IN THE SPIRIT OF GERALD FORD 1976 HE CAN REPEAT WHAT HE SAID IN IOWA AND SAY I HATE DEMOCRATS AND THOSE WOULD GIVE A DIFFERENT SHEEN ON THE EVENT AND THERE IS NO WAY OF PREDICTING WHAT HE WILL DECIDE TO DO.

>> MICHAEL SCHERER, THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU.