Things were starting to look a little bleak on Friday for the prospects of the Great American State Fair, as many of the musical artists on the bill the Freedom 250 folks heavily promoted, for the concert scheduled to happen on June 25 on Washington, D.C.'s historic Mall, announced that they would not be attending.
The biggest star to drop out is probably multiple Country Music Award-winner Martina McBride, who told fans and other interested parties in a statement that the star felt "misled" by organizers, and hoped to "clear the air" on why she would not be performing.
As my colleague Rusty Weiss wrote:
In a lengthy Instagram statement, McBride claimed she was “misled” into believing the June 25th concert would be a wholesome, nonpartisan celebration of all 50 states, only to pull out once the details became clear.
"I would like to talk to you and clear the air," she announced. "I will not be performing at the Great American State Fair on June 25th. I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event, but that turned out to be misleading."
McBride went on to say she's "been blessed with the opportunity to be a voice for those who have felt like they didn’t have one," adding that she is saddened that "any fan who has been moved by my music may now feel like I’m abandoning the meaning behind those songs."
On Saturday, President Trump hopped on his Truth Social account to address the matter, as he is wont to do, floating an idea he said is in the planning stages: scrapping all of the entertainers and making himself the headliner.
Pres. Trump prefaced the post with "AMERICA IS BACK Rally!" Move over, Great American State Fair?
AMERICA IS BACK Rally! pic.twitter.com/ZAowKERA12
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 30, 2026
The post read
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! Two years ago, the United States was DEAD. Now we have the “HOTTEST” Country anywhere in the World.
The president, who knows a little bit about putting on a show, also had some harsh words for the musicians/singers who dropped out. And while he doesn't namecheck McBride, it would be surprising if he did not have her in mind when he wrote:
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.
He added that people should consider the Truth as his official order to WH staffers to "look at the feasibility" of making it an "America Is Back Rally" - noting that it would be "same time, same location" as the Great American State Fair.
He closed the post with rhetorical fireworks, saying that "Only Great Patriots [are invited]," and "It will be a Wild and Beautiful Celebration of America!"
USA! USA! USA!
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