US President Donald Trump on Saturday called for improvements to upcoming concerts after several artists cancelled. He said that he was the most suitable person to replace the musicians, claiming that only he could attract a larger audience than the late icon Elvis Presley.
The purpose of the summer concert was to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States. Several musical guests recently backed out of the event, dubbed “The Great American State Fair,” partly because of ties to Trump.
The Great American State Fair is a 16-day event running from June 25 to July 10, 2026, featuring concerts, state pavilions, exhibits, rides, and other attractions.
“I understand the artists are facing the ‘yips’ from their performance,” Trump said in a lengthy message on his Truth social platform. With his characteristic capitalization mistakes, he called himself “the number one attraction anywhere in the world” and that the musicians supported “highly paid, third-rate ‘artists'”.
Organizers of the event on Washington’s National Mall responded to the president’s comments in a statement, saying they were “excited to announce that President Trump will personally open this historic celebration on Wednesday, June 24.”
The concert series is the latest in a string of events and celebrations the White House has planned for this year’s 250th anniversary, which also includes an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight on the White House grounds in June.
Why did the artists come back?
Trump’s announcement comes a day after several artists said they would no longer be a part of the White House-backed event.
These included country singer Martina McBride and glam rocker Bret Michaels, frontman of the 1980s band Poison.
“Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has turned into something much more divisive than I agreed to be a part of,” Michaels posted on Facebook. “Concerns have been raised about the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely baseless and inexcusable.”
Although the event has been described as non-partisan, it was launched by Trump last year and is led by a State Department appointee prior to his first term as president.
McBride said in a statement on Instagram that she “was given the opportunity to perform at a non-partisan event, but it turned out to be confusing.”
Other artists to drop out include Grammy Award-winning rapper Young MC and funk and soul band The Commodores.
Young MCs said that the artists were “never told about any political involvement on the program,” while the Commodores said that the band had decided “not to publicly affiliate with any one party.”
Remaining artists who still plan to attend include rapper Flo Rida, Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan and rapper Vanilla Ice, who posted an Instagram video saying the purpose of the concert was to “bring us all together” and “not a political platform.”
He said he was “extremely honored to do this concert.”
Edited by: Shawn Sinico