President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to deliver a 'spectacular" yearlong birthday party to mark 250 years of American independence . On Thursday, he will be in the U.S. heartland to kick off the patriotic festivities leading up to next year's anniversary.
The event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines will feature "dazzling" displays of Americana and American history, musical performances and a fireworks show to cap the night, said U.S. Ambassador Monica Crowley, Trump's liaison to the organizing group, America250.
Organizers see the coming year of festivities as a way to help unite a polarized nation and bridge partisanship - a monumental task given the country's divides. Thursday's event comes as the Republican-controlled Congress pushed for final passage of a sweeping tax cuts and spending package that's at the heart of Trump's legislative agenda but has united all Democrats against it. More U.S. adults also disapprove than approve of how the Republican president is doing his job.
Iowa was a "logical choice" for the kickoff, Crowley said, because of its central location and Trump's affinity for the state, which supported him in each of the last three general elections. She also said Iowa's middle-of-the-country geography is symbolic of the desire to use the coming celebrations to help bring people together.
"We've had so much division and so much polarization over the last many decades, but certainly over the last few years, that to be able to bring the country together to celebrate America's 250th birthday through patriotism, shared values and a renewed sense of civic pride, to be able to do that in the center of the country, is incredibly important," she said.