Artists withdraw from America's 250th anniversary festival

Multiple performers booked for a festival celebrating America’s 250th birthday have dropped out, many saying they were misled about the political affiliation of the event.

The Great American State Fair unveiled the artists at event planned on the National Mall in Washington DC between 25 June and 10 July. The group was launched last year by the Trump administration, and the president appointed its CEO, but it says the event is non-partisan.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he might instead use America’s 250th occasion to give a “major speech” in Washington DC, calling the artists who dropped out “third rate”.

Freedom 250 has said it was a nonprofit “dedicated to uniting Americans around the nation’s 250th anniversary”. Artists including Young MC, Morris Day, the Commodores, Poison frontman Bret Michaels and country singer Martina McBride have all since said they will not be participating.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he was aware of artists getting “the yips” about their performances and was thinking about instead appearing himself at a new rally at same time and location.

“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,” he wrote, calling himself “the “Number One Attraction anywhere in the World”.

Rappers Morris Day and Young MC were first to announce they would not be participating. Young MC, best known for his 1989 hit Bust a Move, said on his social media that artists were not told about any “political involvement with the event” and that he looked forward to performing in DC in the future at an event that was “not so politically charged”.

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Morris Day posted an image on Instagram with the text “Contrary to Rumor, Morris Day & The Time Will Not Be Performing at the ‘GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR'”. The post was captioned “It’s A No for Me.”

The next day, other artists followed suit. “The Commodores will not be performing at the Great American State Fair,” the group posted on their social media accounts.

“Our music has always been our voice, and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party. We support the betterment of all Americans.”

Singer McBride said in a statement on X that she was “presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading”.

Bret Michaels also said in a lengthy statement on social media on Friday morning: “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 also cited safety concerns. Rappers Flo Rida and Vanilla Ice, however, are still slated to perform. Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Matthew Van Winkle, said: “This is not a political platform. This is celebrating America’s 250th birthday,” in a caption to a video post on his Instagram account.

One half of Milli Vanilli’s public-facing duo, Fab Morvan, said he will also perform as scheduled. The voices behind Milli Vanilli’s music said in a statement on X that they will not be performing.

“The original/real vocalists of Milli Vanilli…will NOT be performing their hits live at the Great American State Fair. Others using the name Milli Vanilli should be considered a tribute band,” the group said.

The frontmen of Milli Vanilli were famously revealed to be lip synching in the 1990s.

C+C Music Factory, famous for the 1990s hit Gona Make You Sweat will also attend. Band member Freedom Williams said in a video on social media that he will still perform, although he does not support Trump. Freedom 250 has yet to announce any lineup changes.

Spokeswoman Rachel Reisner said in a statement: “There is far too much to celebrate about this great nation to let noise and division distract from the incredible moment ahead – and we look forward to welcoming millions of Americans to a fair that belongs to all Americans.”

The White House is backing a number of events to mark America’s 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence in July.

They include a UFC fight on its South Lawn and the Great American State Fair in June and July, and a Grand Prix race in the US capital in August. The US will also release a limited number of commemorative passports that feature a portrait of Trump.

BBC