Trump says he’s headlining Freedom 250 event after performers drop out of concert

U.S. president claims he 'gets much ​larger audiences ⁠than Elvis in his prime' '

Published May 30, 2026  •  2 minute read

U.S. President Donald Trump. Photo by Alex Wroblewski /Getty Images

U.S. President Donald Trump will headline the opening ceremony for an event commemorating America’s 250th anniversary next month after a wave of high-profile artists scheduled for the event dropped out, according to the Washington Post.

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The Freedom 250 concert series was part of the Great American State Fair, a 16-day event organized by the Freedom 250 group running from June 25 to July 10, 2026 on the National Mall in Washington.

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Country singer Martina McBride, funk and R&B group The Commodores, and rocker ​Bret Michaels, were among the nine musical acts scheduled to perform at the event, but recently pulled out, stating that they were unaware of Freedom 250’s affiliation with Trump.

On Thursday, McBride said in an Instagram post that she was misled by the event’s organizer, stating that she “was assured this was a nonpartisan event,” but “things started changing and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening.”

Michaels, likewise, bowed out on Friday, calling the event “much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of.”

Young MC and Morris Day and The Time have also withdrawn from the concert, while Vanilla Ice defended the event in a social media video, saying it “is not a political platform.”

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Trump calls himself the ‘Number One Attraction’

On Saturday, Trump addressed the cancelled acts on social media, saying he understood “artists are getting ‘the yips’ ” about performing and suggested headlining the event himself.

In the post on Truth Social, Trump called himself “the Number One Attraction anywhere in ⁠the ⁠World, ​the man who gets much ​larger audiences ⁠than Elvis in his prime.”

He ended the post, stating, “So, by copy of this TRUTH, I am ordering my Representatives to look at the feasibility of doing an AMERICA IS BACK Rally on Wednesday, Washington, D.C., same time, same location. Only Great Patriots invited — It will be a Wild and Beautiful Celebration of America!”

Following his post, a spokesperson for Freedom 250 issued a statement to the Post stating the president would indeed kick off the event on Wednesday, June 24, in an “opening ceremony.”

Danielle Alvarez described the event as a “World’s Fair celebrating the people, traditions, innovations, and spirit that make America the greatest nation on Earth,” the Post reported.

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