While President Donald Trump said Monday that the “Great American State Fair” celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary was packed with people, other reports have called the fairgrounds on the National Mall a “ghost town.” What’s really going on?
“Do you think people appreciate what a fantastic job we did in building and operating the Great American State Fair at the National Mall, packed with happy people, and everybody loving it?” said Trump in a Monday Truth Social post. “Ask yourself this simple question, ‘DO YOU THINK THAT OBUMA OR SLEEPY JOE BIDEN COULD HAVE DONE IT?’ THE ANSWER IS NO!” he added, referring to former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, both Democrats.
However, the state fair has already seen its share of controversy, and it just began last Friday. Before it kicked off, multiple celebrity entertainers – including country star Martina McBride and Poison front man Bret Michaels – dropped out, citing concerns about the event being too political. Then, there was backlash after Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel’s girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, performed at the state fair.
Trump may have said the fair has been “packed,” but Newsweek reported on the “emptiness” of the state fair on Monday. It said images and videos appear to show a low turnout at the festival, which is running through July 10, citing X posts from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as well as actor and Trump supporter Dean Cain.
A public-private partnership called “Freedom 250” was established by the Trump administration to organize events in the capital related to the nation’s semiquincentennial. According to the “Freedom 250” website, the fair is a “world-class exposition” that includes more than 150 exhibits from all 56 states and territories as well as businesses, innovators, and civic organizations. In addition to live performances, there are state pavilions, industry displays, family-friendly attractions, military ensembles, flyovers, cultural programming and a Ferris wheel. Admission is free.
NBC News noted that the fair opened to drizzly weather over the weekend. It said that attendees still showed up for the event and that they told NBC that the fair didn’t seem too political.
Then, there’s another report from The Independent. It said: “Since the two-week event kicked off on Wednesday, it has been beset by a string of embarrassing mishaps, starting with a lackluster crowd at the president’s appearance to launch the entire project.”
Vanilla Ice also canceled a performance at the fair amid the inclement weather and some Democratic states pulled staffing from booths, the outlet said. Not only did Vanilla Ice fail to show up, but actual ice cream melted when power failed in the facility that had been constructed to host a food hall, The Independent added. Forbes said power issues also caused problems for the Ferris wheel.
The Washington Post also reported that attendance at the fair was “sparse.” Spectrum News reported on another controversy linked to a Confederate flag at North Carolina’s exhibit.
Meanwhile Rachel Reisner, a spokesperson for the event, claimed in an X post that “some unhappy, fake reporters claim the Great American State Fair has been empty...” and shared a photo of a full crowd at a redo event at the fair. There are still more than 10 days to go before the fair is over, so time will tell if attendance increases.
