Former President Donald J. Trump has announced plans to host an “America Is Back” rally in place of several high-profile musicians who have withdrawn from performances at the Great American State Fair.
In a recent post on his social media platform, Trump stated that artists were suffering from “the yips” following Wednesday’s events and that he would bring himself as “the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World.” He described the rally as an opportunity to deliver speeches he has given since becoming president and further stated that he had directed his officials to assess the feasibility of holding the event.
Trump claimed that two years ago, the United States was “DEAD,” but now it is the “HOTTEST Country anywhere in the World.” He emphasized his desire to gather only “Happy People, Smart People, Successful People, and People that know how to WIN” for the rally, which he proposed for Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
The Great American State Fair, organized by Freedom 250—a nonprofit created by the Trump administration to mark America’s 250th anniversary—was scheduled from June 25 through July 10. Multiple performers, including Poison frontman Bret Michaels, country singer Martina McBride, R&B group The Commodores, Young MC, Morris Day and The Time, and C+C Music Factory, announced they would not participate, citing concerns that the event had become politically divisive.
Trump also criticized the Kennedy Center, stating it is “broken, unsafe, and $busted,” and called a federal judge who barred his involvement from being “highly conflicted” and “crooked.” He demanded that the judge be impeached.
Vanilla Ice remains scheduled to perform at the event, which includes concerts, a veterans’ salute, and a MAHA Monday for “Make America Healthy Again.” Freedom 250 officials have denied any political intent, stating the organization is “nonpartisan” and focused solely on celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
The initiative has also raised questions about two organizations marking the nation’s 250th anniversary: Freedom 250, established through a Trump administration executive order last year, and America250, created by Congress over a decade ago to plan semiquincentennial events.