A fuel leak occurred on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall during a recent Freedom 250 event, in an incident the organization attributed to sabotage. Freedom 250, the group President Donald Trump spearheaded to mark the United States’ 250th birthday throughout 2026, told the Washington Examiner that vandals targeted its equipment, triggering the fuel leak. “Following the Freedom 250 team’s installation of temporary lighting on the National Mall, our equipment has been repeatedly targeted by vandals,” Freedom 250 spokeswoman Rachel Reisner said on Tuesday. “The recent fuel leak was the direct result of that tampering.”
“Upon discovering damage to a generator fuel line, Freedom 250 and our vendors mobilized within minutes, coordinated an immediate cleanup response, and fully remediated the site in close partnership with the National Park Service,” she continued. “We take our responsibility as stewards of the National Mall seriously and are working closely with the appropriate law enforcement authorities regarding these acts of vandalism. We will not be deterred from delivering incredible events for all Americans as we prepare to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday.”
Over 30 gallons of fuel from commercial generators Freedom 250 used at its May 17 “Rededicate 250” prayer rally, which Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended, seeped into underground cisterns that collect rainwater to irrigate the Mall, according to NBC News.
