As America gets ready to celebrate its 250th on the Fourth of July, Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 concert series—dubbed “Great American State Fair” on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall is falling apart. Luckily, Trump is here to rescue it.
After five of the originally announced artists dropped out, Trump has kindly offered to step in. In a lengthy rant on Truth Social on Saturday, the president wrote, “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!”
He continued, “Two years ago, the United States was DEAD. Now we have the ‘HOTTEST’ Country anywhere in the World. 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. Only Great Patriots invited — It will be a Wild and Beautiful Celebration of America!”
The Great American State Fair’s lineup was announced on Wednesday, May 27, by Freedom 250—the self-described non-partisan organization that “serves as the official public-private partnership” connecting “efforts to deliver the defining presidential moments of this anniversary year.” It initially named Martina McBride, Flo Rida, Vanilla Ice, Young MC, C+C Music Factory, Milli Vanilli, the Commodores, and Bret Michaels as performers.
But fallout came swiftly over the event, which was organized by Keith Krach, an appointee of President Trump, with artists pulling out, citing they were told the series was nonpartisan. By that evening, Morris Day and the Time denied “rumors” that they will be playing at the event. Day posted to Instagram, “Morris Day & the Time will not be performing at the ‘Great American State Fair.’” In the caption, he added: “It’s A No For Me.”
Also on Wednesday night, Young MC announced via social media that he, too, was not performing. The “Bust a Move” rapper told VIBE on Thursday, “I had no clue it was considered a ‘Trump-backed’ event, so that was new to me,” the rapper said. “My whole thing was ‘tell me what the event is, what it’s about, who you are, and then give me the choice of whether I want to do the event or not.’ I was never given that choice. I was told one thing and then it was a bait-and-switch. All the comments I’ve seen from the artists that have dropped out thought it was supposed to be a regular show in D.C.”
William King of the Commodores confirmed to Rolling Stone via phone that the group would not be performing at the event. “Our music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party,” the band said in a statement on Instagram. “We support the betterment of all Americans.”
On Thursday, Martina McBride took to social media to “clear the air” and said, “I will not be performing at the Great American State Fair on June 25th.” The singer said that while she was “presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event,” the supposed show “turned out to be misleading.”
By Friday morning, Michaels announced he was also dropping out. “When this opportunity was originally presented to my team, it was described as a celebration of our country through music and a chance to honor our veterans, active military, first responders, teachers, and hardworking Americans from all walks of life,” he wrote. He said the show “evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of.”
Michaels added he had unspecified “concerns” about the safety of himself, his crew, and fans, “including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable.” “This isn’t about politics,” he wrote. “It’s about staying true to what I’ve always believed in. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. That’s one of the freedoms our veterans have fought for and something I’ve always respected. But as a father, friend, and bandmate, I have to take threats and safety concerns seriously.”
Meanwhile, more chaos abounded when it came to C&C Music Factory, with one member Freedom Williams saying he’s all about it, despite citing, ““I don’t fuck with Trump.” He added: “But the day I let you motherfuckers tell me what to do is the day I die.” However, Robert Clivillés, one of the Music Factory’s namesake Cs, said he couldn’t back Williams’ screed in an Instagram post. Williams obtained the trademark to the group’s name in 2005 and has been performing without Clivillés. “Any political, ideological, religious, or personal viewpoints expressed by Freedom Williams are his own and should not be interpreted as reflecting my views, the views of David Cole’s estate, or the views of the original creators and producers behind C+C Music Factory,” Clivillés said in a statement to Rolling Stone.
And then there’s a group that is called Real Milli Vanilli, who said in a statement on social media that they would not be performing. However, Fab Morvan, the remaining face of the group, told Rolling Stone he will be performing.
“Despite any rumors out there, I will be performing at the Great American State Fair in Washington DC at the National Mall on June 26, as a part of The I Love the 90’s Tour,” he said in a statement. “I am here to entertain and unite people, not divide them. Let’s celebrate life & music and take a trip down memory lane. I feel honored to be a part of the Great American State Fair as it will celebrate the 250-Year anniversary of America with so many other accomplished artists.”
Vanilla Ice also confirmed his participation. His manager, TQ Management, told Rolling Stone , “Vanilla Ice is contracted and will perform at the Great American Fair at the National Mall on Friday, June 26,” the rep says. “He is proud to help celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary! Everyone is welcome to attend and celebrate USA’s Birthday and our Freedom!”
A rep for Flo Rida did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment.