{"id":243386,"date":"2026-05-31T03:53:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T03:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/31\/donald-trump-says-cancel-it-amid-backlash-over-freedom-250s-great-american-state-fair-2\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T03:53:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T03:53:14","slug":"donald-trump-says-cancel-it-amid-backlash-over-freedom-250s-great-american-state-fair-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/31\/donald-trump-says-cancel-it-amid-backlash-over-freedom-250s-great-american-state-fair-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Donald Trump Says \u2018Cancel It\u2019 Amid Backlash Over Freedom 250\u2019s Great American State Fair"},"content":{"rendered":"


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President Donald Trump<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0called for organizers of Freedom 250\u2019s Great American State Fair concerts to \u201ccancel\u201d upcoming concerts due to artists dropping out<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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 \u2018Artists,\u2019 and give a major speech, rallying the Country forward like I have done ever since being President,\u201d Trump, 79, wrote via TruthSocial<\/a> on Saturday, May 30.<\/p>\n

Martina McBride<\/strong><\/a>, Bret Michaels<\/strong>, Young MC<\/strong> and Morris Day and the Time have all pulled out of scheduled shows at the 16-day festival in Washington D.C. celebrating America\u2019s 250th birthday over organizer Freedom 250\u2019s connections to the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

Freedom 250 describes its events as \u201cnonpartisan,\u201d though its website mentions the White House and the Department of War among its \u201cfounding government members.\u201d Freedom 250 also publicly counts multiple corporations with ties to Trump \u2014 including Palantir, UFC and Oracle \u2014 as sponsors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to talk to you and clear the air. I will not be performing at the Great American State Fair on June 25. I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading,\u201d McBride, 59, announced via Instagram on Thursday, May 28.<\/p>\n

Michaels, 63, alleged that he\u2019d received threats over his involvement in Freedom 250 before deciding to cancel his show.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of,\u201d Michaels said in a statement via his website. \u201cConcerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable. Because of that, I have made the difficult decision to step away from this performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Martina McBride performs onstage in October 2025.<\/span> Jason Kempin\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the wake of multiple artist cancellations, Trump compared the Freedom 250 controversy to his troubled attempt to renovate and rename<\/a> the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.<\/p>\n

A judge ruled on Friday, May 29, that Trump\u2019s name should be removed<\/a> from the Kennedy Center\u2019s marquee, in addition to temporarily blocking a planned two-year closure for renovations. (The president later threatened to \u201ctransfer this failing Institution back\u201d to the \u201cRadical Left Democrats\u201d to force them to take ownership of renovation costs and planning.)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should have a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain,\u201d Trump suggested<\/a>. \u201cCancel it, just like I canceled my involvement with the failing and unsafe to be in Kennedy Center \u2026 The Kennedy Center is broken, unsafe, and $busted, and has been for many years!\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior to Trump\u2019s statement, Freedom 250 spokesperson Julia Friedland<\/strong> addressed whether the festivities were truly nonpartisan<\/a> during an appearance on DC News Now\u2019s Sunrise on the Hill<\/em> on Friday, May 29.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything partisan about America being around for 250 years \u2026 We have a history, obviously, but we have a president that wants to celebrate 250 years of America,\u201d she insisted. \u201cAnd that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re doing. And that\u2019s how it was sold to performers. We\u2019ll have military bands, military ensembles as well. We will have representatives from every state and territory in the United States to come and represent their culture, what makes their state and territory unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it sold the same way to everyone that we\u2019re celebrating America\u2019s 250th birthday,\u201d she added. \u201cWe\u2019ll have military bands, orchestras, talented performers. We will be announcing more in the coming weeks and days, and we will have something for everyone there.\u201d<\/p>\n

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