Trump Is Hijacking America’s 250th Birthday (w/ Kevin Levin) | Bulwark on Sunday

The Trump administration has launched a highly organized and federally funded initiative, including 'Project 1776' and 'Freedom 250,' to brand America's 250th anniversary. This effort is a direct response to more inclusive historical projects like the 1619 Project and aims to impose a specific, 'comforting' narrative of American history, distinct from the congressionally authorized 'America 250' organization.

Trump formed Project 1776 at the end of his first term, restarted it in January 2025, and then created 'Freedom 250' to contrast with 'America 250.' This involves 'a lot of money and a lot of federal agencies involved' to 'stamp his own image as much as possible on that.'

Unlike previous national commemorations, such as the Bicentennial, the Trump administration's approach to the 250th anniversary is characterized by an unprecedented level of centralized, presidential-led politicization. Past events were more led by Congress or local initiatives, whereas this effort directly involves the executive branch in shaping historical interpretation.

Levin states, 'we didn't see the Nixon administration sort of create its own organization at that time.' He notes that Congress took the lead in the past, which is 'very different from what we're seeing this time.'

The administration's actions are a direct pushback against decades of evolving historical scholarship that has led to a more inclusive, broader, and complicated understanding of American history, particularly concerning issues of slavery and race. This includes changes in classroom education and interpretations at National Park Service sites.

Levin explains that 'what kids today are learning... is a very different one. Much more inclusive, much broader, much more complicated than what their parents and especially their grandparents learned.' He adds that National Park Service interpretations are 'much more willing to address some of the more complicated questions... in connection to the issues of slavery, issue of race.'

The Trump administration has actively demonized the National Park Service (NPS), accusing its rangers of 'subversive activity' and attempting to control its exhibits and narratives. This includes executive orders and directives to identify and potentially remove 'problematic' displays, though the slow pace of bureaucracy and public resistance have limited wholesale changes.

Levin finds the 'demonization of the National Park Service' to be 'the most disturbing part' and 'something I did not anticipate.' He mentions a March 2025 executive order to 'restore truth and sanity' and a concerted attempt to call on individual parks to create lists of 'potentially problematic exhibits,' leading to some removals like the scarred back image at Harpers Ferry and Bunker Hill exhibits.

Despite the administration's efforts, the attempt to create a central, controlled historical narrative is largely failing because most Americans consume history and will experience the 250th anniversary locally. The decentralized nature of historical engagement and public pushback make it difficult for a top-down approach to succeed.

Levin argues that 'to try to control it to create a central narrative I think is incredibly difficult and I would argue a lost cause.' He believes 'most Americans are going to experience the 250th... in their own communities... and have nothing at all to do with what's going on in Washington D.C.'

The use of terms like 'wokeness' by Trump and his allies is a political tactic to frame historical discussions, rather than an accurate description of mainstream historical scholarship. This language serves to push a specific political agenda and suppress critical thinking about history.

Levin states that 'the language of wokeness at least coming from Trump and others... is really an attempt to use history to serve a certain politics and a certain political agenda.' He highlights that 'critical thinking about history is something that the Trump administration has worked very hard to stamp out.'

Many Confederate monuments, particularly those erected in the late 19th and mid-20th centuries, were not symbols of reunion or reconciliation but rather self-consciously political statements designed to justify Jim Crow, nativism, and resistance to civil rights. Attempts to reinstall them, like Trump's stated desire for the Arlington monument, ignore their true historical context.

Levin notes that the Arlington Confederate monument, dedicated in 1914, contained the 'loyal mammy figure' and was a 'blatant, sort of lost cause symbol.' He asserts that the United Daughters of the Confederacy, responsible for many monuments, 'had no interest first and foremost in reconciliation. They wanted to celebrate the Confederacy.'