See which states are opting out of President Trump’s Great American Fair
USA TODAY’s Melina Kahn talks about states opting out of participating in the 16-day event backed by President Donald Trump.
President Donald Trump will open the Great American State Fair with a speech Wednesday night, June 24th.
The event will begin at 7 p.m. ET on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and promises music and military flyovers from the F-16 Viper demo team and “America’s most iconic fighter and stealth bomber aircraft,” according to Freedom 250, which is coordinating the kickoff event and the subsequent 16 days of the Great American State Fair.
Music will be provided by “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Corps Band, “Pershing’s Own” U.S. Army Band, and the Army Chorus, as well as special musical performances by country singer Lee Greenwood and opera singer Christopher Macchio.
“It’s essentially a rally, but we’re going to call it the Rally to America. It’s going to be the 250th, so it’s going to be very special,” Trump said in a June 22 video post on social media platform X. “You’re going to love it. We’re all going to have a lot of fun together.”
Also planned as part of the Great American State Fair Kickoff Celebration are:
- Ceremonial presentation by military honor guard and specialized units from the U.S. Park Police, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Military District of Washington.
- Speakers scheduled to speak include Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Ambassador-at-Large Monica Crowley, retired U.S. Navy SEAL Jocko Willink, and Frank Schiller, president and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Here’s what else you need to know, including how to watch.
How to attend the Great American State Fair Kickoff Celebration
The Kickoff Celebration and Great American State Fair are free and open to the public.
Walk-ups are welcome, but you can register for free tickets on the Freedom 250 website. Doors open for the event on Wednesday, June 24th at 3:30pm ET. Doors open at 10 a.m. ET during the Great American State Fair.
How to watch the Great American State Fair Kickoff Celebration
Many networks are expected to broadcast all or part of the event. Fox News Channel will broadcast “Bret Baier Special Report” (6-7 p.m. ET/3-4 p.m. PT) and “The Ingraham Angle” (7-8 p.m. ET/4-5 p.m. PT) live from the National Mall on Wednesday nights.
Other networks scheduled to air include CSPAN2 and Newsmax. Freedom 250 will be streamed online as well as the Right Side Broadcasting Network’s YouTube channel.
What is the Great American State Fair?
The June 24 event, which includes President Trump’s speech, kicks off the Great American State Fair, which runs from June 25 to July 10.
The event was expected to include exhibits from every state and territory in the United States, but some states have said they will not allocate resources to the event.
Freedom 250, a quasi-governmental group formed by President Trump to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary, originally planned a 16-day concert series as part of the event. However, many musicians declined to perform, some citing the event’s perceived political nature and confusion over the content of their applications.
In a May 20 post on Truth Social, President Trump criticized musicians for suffering from a condition known as the “yips” and said he planned to organize a rally instead called the “America is Back Rally.”
Trump went on to say that the lineup change might be for the best because he is “the No. 1 attraction around the world” and “a guy who draws a much bigger audience than Elvis in his prime.”
Contributors: Fernando Cervantes, Melina Khan and Mike Stanson, USA TODAY
Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at: mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
