Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Trump admin panics in fair talent search as artists bail: 'We can't just have Kid Rock'
trump is in panic mode
Trump admin panics in fair talent search as artists bail: ‘We can’t just have Kid Rock’
— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-05-30T16:30:16Z
https://www.rawstory.com/freedom-250-2676976282
The “Great American State Fair” – a multi-day festival organized by the President Donald Trump-linked group Freedom 250 – has seen a mass exodus of performers bail on the event after they learned of its ties to the president, and the Trump administration is scrambling to find acts to replace them, insiders told Zeteo in its report Saturday.
“We can’t just have Kid Rock every day [of the state fair],” a Trump appointee told Zeteo, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “It’s a little f------ embarrassing when you can’t hold on to Bret Michaels… But we’re confident we’ll get a good line-up.”
Since announcing the lineup for the patriotic event designed to celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary, “nearly all” performers had pulled out of the event. An entertainment industry insider, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Zeteo that when reaching out to artists for the event, Freedom 250 “seemed almost purposefully vague at times, with Donald Trump’s name not being used once.”....
The Trump administration’s search for replacement acts may prove difficult, however, based on the feedback from one “well-connected Hollywood agent” who spoke with Zeteo on the condition of anonymity.
“We can’t just have Kid Rock every day [of the state fair],” a Trump appointee told Zeteo, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “It’s a little f------ embarrassing when you can’t hold on to Bret Michaels… But we’re confident we’ll get a good line-up.”
Since announcing the lineup for the patriotic event designed to celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary, “nearly all” performers had pulled out of the event. An entertainment industry insider, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Zeteo that when reaching out to artists for the event, Freedom 250 “seemed almost purposefully vague at times, with Donald Trump’s name not being used once.”....
The Trump administration’s search for replacement acts may prove difficult, however, based on the feedback from one “well-connected Hollywood agent” who spoke with Zeteo on the condition of anonymity.
47 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Oh wait, that's Ukraine. 
live gunfire straight up into the air? 
The J6ers don't really care where all that lead comes down. They seem to think it evaporates into the air. Good times. 
Kid Riles
@kid_riles
·
12m
Breaking news!!!
Donald Trump has secured Tom Tiffany’s Boundary Waters Wreckers to play at the Great American State Fair!
That’s what I’m talking about baby!
MAGA!
Link to tweet
?s=20
reenact the Copperheads in Congress against the Emancipation Proclamation. The MAGAts would love that.
Or Trump could have his flying monkeys barnstorm the "fairgrounds" of the White House.
Endless fun.
Last edited Sat May 30, 2026, 07:47 PM - Edit history (1)
Trump’s advisers worked quickly to organize a rally, set for June 24, after several performers slated for the concert series to be held this summer on the National Mall dropped out.
🧵 NEW WaPo: Trump to headline at Freedom 250 Great American State Fair after music acts cancel.
— Nancy Levine Stearns (@nancylevinestearns.bsky.social) 2026-05-30T20:13:55.601Z
Freedom 250 spokesperson said yesterday that Trump's Freedom 250 is 'inherently nonpolitical.'
So Trump will perform at his 'inherently nonpolitical' Freedom 250 event.
wapo.st/3PwQEyL
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/05/30/trump-headline-great-american-state-fair-after-music-acts-cancel
President Donald Trump will headline an opening ceremony for the Great American State Fair on the National Mall next month after many of the musical performers slated for the event canceled, citing the event’s associations with him.
The Great American State Fair — organized by Freedom 250, a Trump-aligned entity he created by executive order to plan semiquincentennial events — this week announced a lineup of performers. More than half canceled shortly thereafter, including Martina McBride and Bret Michaels, claiming they had not known about the organizing group’s connections to the president.
After Trump said on his Truth Social platform Saturday that he understood “Artists are getting ‘the yips’” about performing and suggested headlining the event himself, Danielle Alvarez, an adviser to Freedom 250, confirmed to The Washington Post that Trump will now kick off an opening event for the fair.
“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,” Alvarez said in a statement first shared with The Post. She called the multiday event “a World’s Fair celebrating the people, traditions, innovations, and spirit that make America the greatest nation on Earth.”.....
Prior to Freedom 250 confirming the newly planned speech, Trump in his Truth Social post wrote that he was “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!”
The Great American State Fair — organized by Freedom 250, a Trump-aligned entity he created by executive order to plan semiquincentennial events — this week announced a lineup of performers. More than half canceled shortly thereafter, including Martina McBride and Bret Michaels, claiming they had not known about the organizing group’s connections to the president.
After Trump said on his Truth Social platform Saturday that he understood “Artists are getting ‘the yips’” about performing and suggested headlining the event himself, Danielle Alvarez, an adviser to Freedom 250, confirmed to The Washington Post that Trump will now kick off an opening event for the fair.
“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,” Alvarez said in a statement first shared with The Post. She called the multiday event “a World’s Fair celebrating the people, traditions, innovations, and spirit that make America the greatest nation on Earth.”.....
Prior to Freedom 250 confirming the newly planned speech, Trump in his Truth Social post wrote that he was “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!”
