US President Donald Trump will headline the opening of a major event marking America’s 250th anniversary after a string of musical performers withdrew from the celebration over concerns about its association with him.
The concerts were originally planned as the opening ceremony of the Great American State Fair, a 16-day event scheduled to run from June 25 to July 10, 2026. Organisers said the fair, coordinated by Freedom 250, will stretch across the National Mall in Washington, featuring concert stages, state pavilions, exhibitions, rides and other attractions.
However, the entertainment line-up has suffered several high-profile departures. On Friday, Bret Michaels became the fifth performer to withdraw, saying the event was not the nonpartisan celebration he believed he had agreed to join. Other artists who have stepped away have voiced similar concerns.
Following the cancellations, Freedom 250 announced that Trump would personally launch the celebrations.
“President Trump will personally kick off this historic celebration,” the organisation said in a social media post.
The departures have raised fresh questions about the event’s original vision and whether organisers can maintain a broad, nonpartisan appeal. Freedom 250 did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the withdrawals.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump suggested the concert series might no longer be necessary if performers continued to back out. Instead, he floated the idea of delivering a major speech on the National Mall, arguing that he attracts larger crowds than many entertainers.
“The fact is that I am, according to many, the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World,” Trump wrote. He added that he draws “much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime” and “does so without a guitar.”
The president also said he had directed his representatives to explore the feasibility of holding an “AMERICA IS BACK Rally” in place of the concert programme.
Freedom 250 was established as a public-private partnership by the White House to help coordinate events commemorating the United States’ 250th anniversary alongside federal agencies.
