Organizers Say Trump to Open 250th Event, Some Artists Withdraw

Freedom 250 announced on May 30 that President Donald Trump will “kick off” the opening ceremony for the upcoming fair that marks the beginning of festivities leading up to Independence Day.

Freedom 250 is the nonpartisan organization coordinating between White House Task Force 250, federal agencies, and the Congressional America250 Commission to deliver presidential initiatives for America’s 250th birthday celebrations.

Spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez for Freedom 250 said in a May 30 post on X, “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.”

The opening ceremony is scheduled for the evening before the first day of planned festivities. The Great American State Fair, led by Freedom 250 working with its public and private partners, has “The American Canon: Opening Day” programmed for Day 1 festivities on June 25.

The announcement was made after Freedom 250 released on May 27 a list of American performers who will feature throughout the 16 days of festivities from June 25 to July 10. However, more than half of the nine groups subsequently said they were pulling out, with some citing perceived partisanship and security concerns.

Martina McBride, a four-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year known for her country hits “Independence Day” and “A Broken Wing,” who was scheduled for a June 25 evening performance, announced she was no longer performing.

“I would like to talk to you and clear the air. I will not be performing at the Great American State Fair on June 25th,” she said in a post on May 28.

She said she had been misled to believe that the performance would be a “nonpartisan event” that “was meant to celebrate all 50 states.

“Yesterday things started changing and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening,” she said without further details.

The four others who said they would no longer be performing were ’90s rapper Young MC, funk and soul band The Commodores, Morris Day of funk rock band Morris Day and The Time, and frontman Bret Michaels of the rock band “Poison.”

Young MC said the event was too “politically charged.” The Commodores attributed their withdrawal to their choice “not to publicly affiliate with any single political party.” A post on Morris Day’s official Facebook account read, “It’s a no for me.”

Michaels expressed concerns about safety. “Unfortunately, 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,” he said in a statement.

“Concerns 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.”

Dance music group C+C Music Factory, rapper Vanilla Ice, Fab Morvan of ’90s pop duo Milli Vanilli, and rapper Flo Rida are still on the ticket.

C+C Music Factory rapper Freedom Williams said in a video on his Instagram page that while he does not support Trump in his personal politics, he still plans to perform at the event. But band co-founder Robert Clivillés has distanced himself and the band’s legacy from Williams and the event.

Vanilla Ice artist Rob Van Winkle said he felt “honored” to be scheduled to perform at a concert on June 26.

Morvan said, “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.”

Flo Rida has not issued a statement, but singer “Low” posted laughing emojis in a response to a question on Instagram post about why he was listed to be performing on July 2.

Hours before the announcement of the opening ceremony, Trump called for the events to be canceled over the withdrawals. He called for having a political MAGA rally instead.

“We 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,” he wrote on Truth Social.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.