Group planning United States’ 250th birthday fires White House-appointed executive director
By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN
(CNN) — The group in charge of nationwide planning for the United States’ 250th birthday celebrations has fired its Trump administration-appointed executive director for “breaches of authority and trust,” a spokesperson said Tuesday.
The nonpartisan US Semiquincentennial Commission said in a statement that Ari Abergel, who was put in place by the White House this spring, “initiated a security breach of a Commission social media account” and “engaged in unauthorized actions related to Commission approved programming, finances, and communications.”
The congressionally created commission, currently chaired by Rosie Rios, the US Treasurer under former President Barack Obama, said it will appoint a new executive director in consultation with the White House. The Wall Street Journal was first to report the firing.
President Donald Trump earlier this year installed allies at the non-partisan body, also known as America250, including Abergel and his former campaign manager Chris LaCivita as an adviser.
Abergel disputed the commission’s characterization of his firing on Tuesday. In a statement to CNN, he insisted he was fired for posting “God bless Charlie Kirk” on an account he oversaw and had “full access” to, referring to a September 11 post to America250’s Instagram account that features a photo of the conservative activist, who was killed at a speaking event at a Utah university the day before.
“Now, Rosie Rios is using ridiculous language like ‘Security Breach’ to try and justify an unjust firing. The fact is that I was fired for a post that Rosie didn’t like,” he said.
Abergel, a former Melania Trump aide and Fox News producer, arrived at America250 in the spring and helped produce the Army’s military parade in June and the kick-off celebration for the 250th birthday in Iowa in July. Both events received criticism from congressional Democrats on the commission, who argued the events were partisan and did not receive official votes from the commission.
His firing arrives amid concerns from state and local planners that there is a lack of resources for states to put on their own events. Some have expressed fears that the overall tenor of the celebrations will turn partisan as opposed to unifying and result in a missed opportunity for meaningful reflection on the nation’s past.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has charged ahead with 250th planning of its own, touting plans for a UFC fight in front of the White House.
Other administration plans for the 250th include the Great American State Fair initiative, which asks states to compete to have their fair chosen by Trump as the “most patriotic” in 2026. The administration has also partnered with conservative media company PragerU on an exhibit about the country’s Founding Fathers, which features AI-created videos of historical figures.
White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement Tuesday the administration “is incredibly proud of all of Ari Abergel’s work at America250 – most notably during the Army250 parade, which boldly honored the bravery and strength of our military men and women.”
“Through the White House Task Force established by President Trump’s January Executive Order, we will continue to coordinate closely with America250 to ensure that all events heading into our nation’s 250th birthday are given the grand celebration our country deserves,” Kelly said.
The-CNN-Wire
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