Only a virtuous people can keep up a republic.
Ambassador Monica Crowley joined Dean Cain on stage at the Great American State Fair for a wide-ranging conversation about the largest patriotic celebration in modern American history. The interview, recorded live on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., covered the origins of the fair, the scale of the July 4th Salute to America, and a packed calendar of national events stretching into late summer.
Crowley, who serves as Chief of Protocol of the United States, described how President Trump tasked her with overseeing all major U.S.-hosted events during his administration, including Freedom 250, the FIFA World Cup, and the 2028 Olympic Games. She explained that the Great American State Fair was approximately a year and a half in the making, designed to give the American people what she called “the party we all deserve” in honor of the nation’s 250th birthday.
The Great American State Fair: All 50 States on America’s Front Lawn
The fair ran for 16 days, from June 25 to July 10, on the National Mall. All states and U.S. territories were represented with individual pavilions. Crowley noted that when some states initially declined to participate, citing costs, the administration created pavilions on their behalf. In several cases, private citizens and elected officials stepped in directly. North Carolina’s pavilion featured a NASCAR simulator brought in by Hall of Famer Richard Childress. In Pennsylvania, Senators Fetterman and McCormick crossed party lines to ensure their state was represented.
Crowley identified Florida, Arizona, and Texas as the three most popular state pavilions in the early days of the fair. Tens of thousands of visitors had already passed through the fair and the adjacent FIFA World Cup fan zone within the first few days of opening.
July 4th: “The Biggest Fireworks Display in the History of the World”
The centerpiece event was the July 4th Salute to America on the National Mall. Crowley described the multi-hour program featuring notable Americans telling the story of the nation across 250 years, followed by an address from the president. She promised the largest fireworks display ever staged anywhere in the world.
Cain noted the heavy security presence, including National Guard personnel from multiple states, D.C. police, Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security, Department of the Interior, and the National Park Police. Both he and Crowley emphasized that the Mall feels safe, clean, and well-maintained.
Foreign Visitors and the Real America
A significant portion of the conversation focused on foreign soccer fans arriving for the FIFA World Cup and discovering an America vastly different from international media portrayals. Crowley referenced social media posts from visitors driving through small towns, eating at local diners, and praising the generosity and warmth of the American people. She contrasted this with what she described as propaganda about the United States broadcast by international outlets, and said these visitors would return home and “tell the truth about us and about our great land.”
Patriotism, History, and the 1976 Bicentennial
Crowley drew a direct parallel between the current celebration and the 1976 Bicentennial, which she said helped heal national divisions following Vietnam and Watergate. She argued that the country faces equally deep divisions today and that Freedom 250 can serve a similar unifying purpose.
She quoted Benjamin Franklin’s famous exchange outside Independence Hall: “A republic, if you can keep it,” and his observation that only a virtuous people can sustain a republic. Cain added that as a history major, he hopes the event will spark interest among younger Americans in the nation’s founding story.
After July 4th
Crowley outlined the schedule of events for the summer:
- The Great American State Fair through July 10
- The Patriot Games (August 9-10): Athletic competitions for high school athletes nationwide, with significant prizes and presidential involvement
- IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix (August 21-23): Professional IndyCar racing through the streets of Washington, D.C., with speeds exceeding 150 mph. Organizers expect over 100,000 attendees.
All event details are available at freedom250.org.
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