Topline
President Donald Trump will replace a slate of music artists scheduled to perform at the “Great American State Fair” with his own rally, according to multiple reports, announcing the change after most performers booked for the event dropped out this week.
Key Facts
Trump said in a Truth Social post he may “take the place of these highly paid, Third Rate ‘Artists,’ and give a major speech.”
Of the nine acts scheduled to perform at the Great American State Fair, five confirmed this week they would not attend the event, including Bret Michaels, Martina McBride, The Commodores, Young MC and Morris Day and the Time.
The remaining performers include Vanilla Ice and Flo Rida, while members of Milli Vanilli and C+C Music Factory have given mixed signals on social media about whether they will perform.
Trump did not name any particular music artist in his post, but said he did not want performers “that get paid far too much money, who aren’t happy.”
Forbes has reached out to Freedom 250 for comment.
Crucial Quote
Trump said: “I 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 “Artists,” and give a major speech, rallying the Country forward like I have done ever since being President!”
Key Background
The lineup for the Freedom 250 concert series was announced Wednesday, but was quickly derailed by dropouts on Thursday and Friday. Poison frontman Bret Michaels said the event was first described to him as a “celebration of our country through music” that “evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of.” He also cited security concerns as a reason for dropping out. McBride said she was asked to “perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading.” Vanilla Ice is so far the only performer to enthusiastically confirm his attendance, saying in a video posted to Instagram, “I’m tired of all the news channels dividing this country…This is not a political platform. This is celebrating America’s birthday. Nothing too serious, just enjoying some fun, dancing and great memories.” Flo Rida has not publicly commented on his involvement in the event and representatives for the rapper did not respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Further Reading
Only A Few Acts Remain In Trump’s ‘Great American State Fair’—And 1 Isn’t Talking (Forbes)
