Gerald Ford was president of the United States during the 1976 Bicentennial celebration.
Ford attended and presided over major national observances, including the July 4 celebrations in Washington, D.C. The Bicentennial commemorated the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and culminated on July 4, 1976.
Ford became president in 1974 after Richard Nixon resigned. He was the first person to become president without being elected president or vice president by the Electoral College. His vice president during the Bicentennial was Nelson Rockefeller.
The 1976 celebration took place during a presidential election year. Ford lost the November election to Jimmy Carter, who took office in January 1977. Carter therefore was not president during the main Bicentennial anniversary, despite becoming president soon afterward.