Trump kicks off the Great American State Fair after musicians pulled out

Donald TrumpTrump kicks off the Great American State Fair after musicians pulled outA number of musical acts backed out of the event on the National Mall last month, concerned about being part of something that appeared political.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00President Donad Trump spoke for roughly 30 minutes Wednesday night, kicking off the Great American State Fair.Andrew Harnik / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 24, 2026, 10:26 PM EDTBy Henry J. GomezWASHINGTON — President Donald Trump treated the kickoff Wednesday to the Great American State Fair as a victory lap for the U.S. — and for himself.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.“Tonight, as we stand at the edge of our 250th year, I am thrilled to declare that America is back,” Trump said in a speech on the National Mall. “As you know very well, a short time ago we were a dead country. We were dead. Now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world. We’re respected by everybody. Nobody’s laughing at us anymore.” The event, organized by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership created by Trump that labels itself as a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, marked the beginning of the 16-day exposition, envisioned as a modern-day world’s fair to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. Planning for the event stirred controversy last month when several musical artists booked to perform, including rapper Young MC and country singer Martina McBride, backed out, citing concerns about the political nature of an event backed by the Trump White House. Trump seized on the development as an opportunity to write himself into the lineup as the headliner. But it was an unusually short rally-style speech from a president who often goes longer than an hour. He wrapped up his remarks in about 30 minutes and did not appear to wander off script.Trump decided to speak at the kickoff for the event on the National Mall after a number of m...