Nearly all of the artists announced for President Donald Trump’s “Freedom 250” concert series have pulled out of the upcoming festivities, turning a National Mall celebration built around America’s 250th birthday into a fight over patriotism, politics and the use of veterans in promoting the event.
Bret Michaels, Martina McBride, Young MC, The Commodores, Morris Day and The Time, and C+C Music Factory are among the performers who have withdrawn from or distanced themselves from Freedom 250 Presents: The Great American State Fair, a 16-day event scheduled for June 25 through July 10 in Washington, D.C.
The event was announced as part of the country’s semiquincentennial celebration and billed as a free public festival with concerts, state exhibits and patriotic programming. But several artists said they were led to believe the event was nonpartisan before learning more about its ties to Trump’s broader 250th birthday plans.
Michaels, the Poison frontman and son of a veteran, said in a statement posted on social media that the performance was first presented to his team as a celebration of the country and “a chance to honor our veterans, active military, first responders, teachers and hardworking Americans from all walks of life.”
He said that, as the son of a veteran and a member of a family that has served, supporting such an event was something he had “always been honored to support.” The event had “evolved into something much more divisive” than what he agreed to join, he added, citing concerns about the safety of his fans, band, crew and family, including what he described as unfounded threats.
A White House official familiar with the matter told Military.com that the Great American State Fair is not a White House event and referred questions to Freedom 250.
Military.com also reached out Friday morning to Freedom 250 and representatives for Vanilla Ice and Flo Rida, two performers still reported as attached to the event. None immediately responded to requests for comment.
Freedom 250 Says the Fair Is ‘Nonpolitical’
Freedom 250 spokesperson Julia Friedland pushed back on Friday against claims that the Great American State Fair is partisan, telling The Hill’s Sunrise on The Hill program that the celebration is “inherently nonpolitical.”
“It is a celebration of our country,” Friedland said.
She said she could not speak to the specific booking conversations between artists and event organizers, but maintained that the fair has been presented as a nonpartisan celebration of the country’s 250th birthday.
“I don’t think there’s anything partisan about America being around for 250 years,” Friedland said.
Freedom 250’s announcement described the fair as a large-scale National Mall event with entertainment, state exhibits, family-friendly attractions and patriotic programming. It also listed military-connected performers among the scheduled programming, including the U.S. Marine Drum & Bugle Corps.
That military-adjacent framing is part of what separates the controversy from a standard celebrity cancellation story.
Michaels’ statement specifically cited veterans and active-duty troops as part of the original pitch, while the artists’ withdrawals have triggered a sharp response from Trump-aligned officials, commentators and supporters who argue that celebrating America’s birthday should not be treated as partisan.
Trump Allies, Supporters Criticize Artists Who Dropped Out
The backlash has been especially pointed at McBride, who said in an Instagram statement that she was offered a chance to perform at what she understood to be a nonpartisan event, “but that turned out to be misleading.”
Richard Grenell, who served as acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s first administration, responded to McBride on X, writing:
Conservative commentator Alec Lace also criticized McBride on X, pointing to her past White House performance during the Obama administration and accusing her of refusing to perform because Trump is president.
Other conservative commentators framed the withdrawals as a rejection of patriotism itself. One account called McBride “another woke singer to add to the cancel list,” while conservative activist Kylie Jane Kremer quoted the late Toby Keith and wrote that McBride had “caved to the woke crowd.”
Another conservative commentator, Todd Starnes, shared McBride’s statement on X, arguing that her decision was inconsistent with past performances by artists at White House events during the Obama and Clinton administrations.
The Newsmax host wrote:
Another X post aimed at Michaels accused him of being an “America Last clown” and said he was refusing to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday because the event was “under President Trump.” The post included a screenshot of Michaels’ statement, in which he said his shows “have never been about politics.”
Other conservatives on the platform openly questioned why organizers have been unable to secure larger musical acts to match the grandiosity of the occasion.
Sean Davis, CEO of The Federalist, wrote on X: “I don’t know if the people running this are deliberately sabotaging the whole thing or if they are just incompetent, but what is happening is a national embarrasment.”
Artists Say They Were Misled
McBride said she asked questions before agreeing to perform and had been assured the event was meant to celebrate all 50 states.
Young MC said artists were not told about political involvement with the event and said he hoped to perform in Washington at a future event that was “not so politically charged,” according to CBS News.
The Commodores also said they would not perform, saying the group does not “publicly affiliate with any single political party,” according to Page Six. Morris Day and The Time posted that the band would not appear at the fair, citing no specific reason.
Flo Rida Faces Backlash
While several artists have backed away from the event, Flo Rida remains one of the performers still listed as connected to the Great American State Fair.
BuzzFeed reported Friday that the rapper faced criticism in his Instagram comments over his involvement, with some users calling him a “sellout” and questioning why he would perform at a Trump-linked celebration.
When one commenter asked, “Performing for Trump? Why??,” Flo Rida replied with laughing emojis.
The response drew further criticism, with some commenters criticizing him for using emojis instead of directly addressing the question. Others said they were no longer fans or had blocked him on Spotify, according to the report.
The Great American State Fair remains scheduled to open on the National Mall on June 25.
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