By Jacob Bogage
WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will cap off the country’s summer celebrations of its 250th anniversary with a roaring auto race through the streets of Washington, a first-of-its-kind event that will showcase the transformation of the capital – and federal government – in Trump’s second term.
IndyCar’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix will spin down historic Pennsylvania Avenue, around the National Archives and weave through some of the country’s preeminent cultural
institutions on Saturday and Sunday.
At every turn are signs of how Trump and his “America First” agenda have reshaped the city, from mass firings at federal agencies and government spending cuts to changes at museums and national landmarks.
Here’s a guide to the weekend’s race route – and Trump’s Washington.
US CAPITOL
The racetrack skirts U.S. Capitol grounds because holding the event any closer would have required approval from Congress, which is historically gridlocked. The view from 3rd Street will instead see the Capitol in the background. Trump held nearly unprecedented sway over Republican lawmakers during his first year in office, forcing a signature tax and immigration package past conservative skeptics and leading Senate Republicans to weaken the filibuster and speed nominees through confirmation votes. But the souring economy and Iran war quagmire have slowed the pace of legislation.
PENNSYLVANIA AVE
Trump has made the post-inauguration journey twice down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House. Racecars will travel up to 185 miles per hour down the Pennsylvania Avenue straightaway, said Bud Denker, chair of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix and president of Penske Corp. To prepare the road for racing, IndyCar officials will weld down manhole covers and seal some of them with a silicone cap. They'll also remove certain barriers from traffic lanes and set up chain-link fence around the perimeter to catch debris from the racing surface.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
The National Archives houses the original versions of the U.S.’s founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights, among other exhibits. Trump has clashed with the parent agency of the archives, the National Archives and Records Administration. After his first term, Trump refused to turn over certain classified records to the agency and took them to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Trump was indicted on 37 felony counts related to the incident after the FBI searched his club. The charges were later dropped. Shortly after Trump returned to office, he fired the head of the National Archives.
FBI HEADQUARTERS
The FBI headquarters is named for longtime director J. Edgar Hoover, who once called the building “the greatest monstrosity ever constructed in the history of Washington.” The facility, completed in 1975, is falling apart. Nets hang from parts of its facade to prevent plummeting chunks of concrete from hitting pedestrians. FBI Director Kash Patel said in December 2025 that the agency would permanently close the Hoover Building and move to another federal office space, but he has not shared a date for the move.
NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
Trump has sought to reimagine much of how the U.S. presents its history and culture, including through museums and art exhibits. The National Gallery of Art was one of the first cultural institutions affected. Within days of Trump retaking office, the gallery eliminated its diversity, equity and inclusion department and signage in line with a Trump executive order. The gallery has also taken notice of the Grand Prix. It performed a vibration study to determine if the force of the whooshing racecars nearby would harm the building’s structural integrity or artwork. A gallery spokesman told Reuters the institution would not release the study's findings.
NATIONAL MALL
The mall is a defining feature of Washington designed by architect Pierre L’Enfant as a “grand avenue” that connects federal government buildings to the city’s cultural institutions. This summer, it has hosted high-profile events celebrating the U.S.’s 250th birthday, including the FIFA World Cup fan festival and Freedom 250’s “Great American State Fair.” It has also become the site of political battles, including disputes over the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, an anti-Trump art installation by an anonymous art collective and vandalism at the World War Two Memorial.
SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM
The Air and Space Museum has long been the most popular of the Smithsonian Institution's tourist locations, drawing more than 3 million visitors per year. It includes artifacts from NASA’s Apollo moon landing missions and the Wright brothers’ 1903 flyer. The Trump administration recently took aim at the Smithsonian’s leadership, accusing the institution of attempting to rewrite U.S. history as “irredeemably flawed.” The Smithsonian and independent historians dispute the claims. Trump has been a major booster of space exploration. He has called for a return of crewed U.S. moon landings by 2028 and missions to Mars by the end of his term. He's also expanded U.S. space-based military capabilities.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The Department of Education is not long for the Lyndon Baines Johnson Building. Trump ran for office pledging to eliminate the department, and while he cannot do so without an act of Congress, his Department of Government Efficiency eliminated roughly 70% of its staff. The Education Department is set to cede the now largely vacant building in the coming weeks to t he Energy Department.
(Reporting by Jacob Bogage; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Alistair Bell)
