Trump to hold a rally at the ‘Great America State Fair’ after several artists back out

President Donald Trump will speak at the opening ceremony for the Great American State Fair in late June, an event in Washington that will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“As the visionary behind the Great American State Fair, we are excited to announce that President Trump will personally kick off this historic celebration on Wednesday, June 24 in an opening ceremony celebrating America’s 250th birthday,” Danielle Alvarez, a spokesperson for Freedom 250, told NBC News on Saturday.

Alvarez confirmed what the president posted on Truth Social earlier Saturday, when he suggested he would host an “America is Back” rally on Wednesday in Washington after multiple recording artists pulled out of a series of concerts that were scheduled to take place during the fair, which will occur from June 24 to July 10 on Washington’s National Mall.

“I understand Artists are getting “the yips” having to do with their performance on Wednesday, so I am thinking about bringing the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World, the man who gets much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime, and he does so without a guitar, the man who loves our Country more than anyone else, and the man who some say is the Greatest President in History (THE GOAT!), DONALD J. TRUMP, to take the place of these highly paid, Third Rate “Artists,” and give a major speech, rallying the Country forward like I have done ever since being President!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

He added, “I don’t want so-called “Artists” that get paid far too much money, who aren’t happy. I only want to be surrounded by Happy People, Smart People, Successful People, and People that know how to WIN. 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.”

A person familiar with the planning for the event also said that Trump was always expected to headline a July 4th event at the fair, and now he’ll do the opening ceremony too.

Freedom 250, a public-private partnership backed by the Trump administration that is organizing events to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday, last week announced a slate of artists that would perform on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays during this summer’s Great American State Fair.

Shortly after the lineup was announced, Morris Day and the Time, Young MC, Martina McBride, The Commodores, and Bret Michaels each said they were declining to participate, citing the fact that they did not know the event was political in nature. Freedom 250 has not announced replacement artists.

Freedom 250 officials in statements denied that their event would be political, with a spokesperson on Friday telling NBC News the group, “is a nonpartisan organization singularly focused on celebrating America’s 250th anniversary and bringing Americans together around this historic milestone. From the outset, our work has reflected the unifying spirit of this moment.”

The event has fueled confusion about the two prominent national groups sponsoring events in Washington and around the country to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary, Freedom 250 and America 250. One — America 250 — was created after Congress passed a law ten years ago to create a group responsible for planning events to celebrate the semiquintennial, while the other — Freedom 250 — was created in the wake of one of Trump’s executive orders last year.

Freedom 250 is the organization sponsoring several other marquee events in Washington this summer to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, like the Fifa 2026 World Cup Fan Zone in June, the Salute to America 250 Celebration and Fireworks on July 4, and the Patriot Games national fitness competition in August.

In Saturday’s statement, Alvarez said that the multi-week Great American State Fair was slated to be an event beyond just the planned musical performances. It will be, “a World’s Fair celebrating the people, traditions, innovations, and spirit that make America the greatest nation on Earth,” she said.

Alvarez added, “The Great American State Fair will bring together all states and territories to showcase the very best of America through state exhibits, industry displays, family friendly attractions and movie screenings, musical performances, military ensembles, incredible flyovers, and an iconic Ferris wheel on the National Mall.”