Musicians have been absent from the lineup in recent days, wary of appearing partisan.
These music stars pull out of President Trump’s Freedom 250 concert
Several artists scheduled to perform at the Great American State Fair, organized by President Donald Trump’s nonprofit organization Freedom 250, have pulled out of the event.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said he is considering canceling musical performances and giving speeches himself instead after prominent artists withdrew from a series of concerts scheduled to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
In a social media post on Saturday, May 30, the president criticized musicians for suffering from a condition known as “the yips,” without naming them specifically. He was apparently referring to the disintegrating lineup of music superstars for the Great American State Fair, a 16-day event organized by the president’s nonprofit organization Freedom 250.
Country star Martina McBride and R&B group The Commodores are among the latest to cancel concerts scheduled for June 25 to July 10 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Both said they initially thought the event would be completely bipartisan.
“That turned out to be misleading,” McBride said in a statement.
Amid mounting cancellations, President Trump said in a post that he was considering holding a rally he called an “America is Back Rally.”
“I don’t want so-called ‘artists’ who are overpaid and not happy,” he wrote online.
It was not clear from the president’s remarks when exactly the rally would take place or whether other musicians would continue to perform. Freedom 250 did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on Trump’s post.
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social..
